Colorful and attractive and savory foods or relishes usually served as appetizers.
This phrase does not, as my father believes, derive from horse ovaries but rather is French for outside the work, the “work” being the courses of the meal; an hors d’oeuvre, therefore, is a small dish to be served either before the main courses or between them. The oeuvre part of this phrase developed from the Latin opera, which is the plural of the Latin opus, meaning work. Opus, in turn, is related to Ops, the name of the Roman goddess of plenty whose favour ensured that one’s hard work would result in opulence. The phrase hors d’oeuvre was first used in English in the mid eighteenth century.
Small cold or hot snacks served as an appetizer at the beginning of a meal are called hors d’oeuvres. They may be served with drinks before dinner or at the table as a first course. If served with drinks, they usually take the form of canapés, pâtés, or spreads that can be eaten from a cracker, shrimp, or cut herring served with picks, or any food that can be eaten with the fingers.