A saucer is a small, shallow plate designed to sit beneath a cup, especially a teacup or coffee cup. The saucer catches drips and spills, protects the table from heat, and gives you a place to rest your spoon. If you've ever had hot cocoa served in a fancy cup at a restaurant, it probably came with a saucer underneath.

The word can also describe anything with a similar round, shallow shape. A flying saucer got its name because witnesses in the 1940s described mysterious aircraft as looking like saucers spinning through the sky. People also use “saucer” to describe wide, round eyes: when someone gets surprised or scared, you might say their eyes grew as wide as saucers.

Saucers became popular in the 1700s when drinking tea and coffee became fashionable in Europe. Before refrigeration, people sometimes poured their hot tea into the saucer to cool it faster before sipping, though that practice mostly disappeared over time. Today, saucers are simply part of a matching set with cups, especially for formal occasions or nice dinners.