Entrée means different things depending on where you are eating. In the United States, an entrée is the main course of a meal, the largest and most important dish you order at a restaurant. When you look at a menu, the entrées are usually items like steak, chicken, pasta, or fish, served with sides like vegetables or potatoes. These are typically the most filling and expensive items on the menu.

But here's where it gets interesting: in France and many other countries, entrée means something different. It means the first course or appetizer, a smaller dish served before the main meal. The word comes from French, where it literally means “entrance” or “entry,” so it originally referred to the dish that enters the meal first.

So if you're eating in Paris and order an entrée, don't be surprised when a small appetizer arrives instead of the main course. When traveling or reading international menus, it helps to know which meaning applies.