dish
dish
Pronunciation
/dɪʃ/.
dish
/d/ - voiced alveolar plosive
/ɪ/ - near-close near-front unrounded vowel
/ʃ/ - voiceless postalveolar fricative
Word Form Variations
Noun forms:
Singular: dish (e.g., "I placed the apple in a dish.")
Plural: dishes (e.g., "Please wash the dishes after dinner." or "The restaurant serves many different dishes.")
Verb forms:
Base form/Infinitive: dish (e.g., "Can you dish out some food?")
Third-person singular present: dishes (e.g., "He dishes out advice readily.")
Present participle: dishing (e.g., "She is dishing up the dinner.")
Past tense/Past participle:dished (e.g., "He dished out generous portions." or "The food was dished up quickly.")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A shallow, typically concave container, usually made of ceramic, glass, or plastic, used for holding or serving food, or for decorative purposes.
Synonyms: plate, bowl, platter, salver, tureen
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for a physical container, but one could consider an empty space or a container specifically not for holding things.)
A specific preparation of food, often a course of a meal.
Synonyms: meal, course, entrée, recipe, specialty
Antonyms: ingredient (refers to components, not the final preparation)
(Informal) An attractive person, especially a woman.
Synonyms: looker, stunner, beauty, hottie (informal)
Antonyms: eyesore, an unattractive person
A parabolic antenna, often large and circular, used to receive or transmit radio waves, especially for satellite communication or television.
Synonyms: antenna, satellite dish, receiver
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this specific type of equipment.)
Verb
To serve or present food, especially by placing it from a larger container into individual portions.
Synonyms: serve, plate, portion, spoon out, dole out
Antonyms: collect (food back), clear (a table of food)
(Often followed by "out") To distribute something, especially information, criticism, or punishment, to a group or individual.
Synonyms: distribute, dispense, mete out, hand out, administer
Antonyms: receive, withhold, collect
(Informal) To talk about or reveal private or gossip-worthy information, often in an enthusiastic or detailed manner.
Synonyms: gossip, spill, divulge, reveal, tell all, blab
Antonyms: conceal, keep quiet, hide, be discreet, hold back
Examples of Use
Books:
"He heaped a generous dish of mashed potatoes onto his plate, eager to begin." (from a historical fiction novel)
"The detective tried to dish out some tough love, but the suspect remained uncooperative." (from a crime thriller)
Newspapers:
"The chef unveiled a new signature dish featuring locally sourced ingredients." (Nairobi News)
"During the press conference, the senator was careful not to dish any direct criticism towards her party's leader." (The Standard)
Online Publications:
"Our tech review highlights the best portable satellite dish for remote camping trips." (Gizmodo.com)
"Celebrities dish on their favorite red carpet looks from the latest awards show." (E! Online)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Television Show (Dialogue): "Could you dish me a scoop of that ice cream, please?" (From a cooking show)
Podcast (Discussion): "Today, we're going to dish on all the behind-the-scenes drama from the latest season of that popular reality show." (From a pop culture podcast)
Movie (Description): The scene showed a large, ornate dish at the center of the banquet table, overflowing with fruit.
Song Lyrics: "Every single night, she's a walking dish, stealing all the glances with a single swish." (From a pop song)
Video Game (Item Description): "Ancient Ceramic Dish: A relic from a forgotten civilization."
General Public Discourse:
"Pass the dish of crisps, would you?" (Casual conversation among friends)
"She's quite a dish, isn't she?" (Informal remark about an attractive person)
"I spent all morning washing dishes after the party." (Everyday household comment)
"Don't forget to dish out the candy to the trick-or-treaters." (Instruction given to a child)
10 Quotes Using Dish
"Revenge is a dish best served cold." (Old Klingon proverb, popularized by Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
"What's for supper? Not that dish again!" (Bart Simpson, The Simpsons)
"I have no particular love for my species, but I am not prepared to see it dish itself out to oblivion." (George Orwell)
"If you want to be a successful writer, you must dish up the world as it is, with all its complexities and contradictions." (Maya Angelou, attributed)
"A man should always have a bit of a dish to make life interesting." (Noel Coward)
"You can't expect to dish it out if you can't take it." (Common saying)
"Life is a dish of sweets and sours." (Japanese proverb)
"The world is a great kitchen, and we are all cooks, trying to dish up something palatable." (Henry Ward Beecher)
"One man's dish is another man's poison." (Common saying)
"A gossip is a person who suffers from indigestion if she doesn't dish the dirt." (Author Unknown)
Etymology
The word "dish" has a long and interesting history, going all the way back to ancient times!
It actually comes from the Latin word "discus," which originally meant a "quoit" (a flat, circular object thrown in a sport, like a frisbee) or a "platter." Imagine a flat, round thing – that's the core idea.
This Latin "discus" then made its way into Old English (the version of English spoken before 1150 AD) as "disc." At this point, it still had that original meaning of a "plate, bowl, or platter" – essentially, a flat or shallow container for food.
Over time, this "disc" evolved into our modern "dish." So, the earliest known use and meaning of "dish" refers to a type of vessel used for holding or serving food, reflecting its ancient ancestor's flat, circular nature.
Interestingly, this same Latin root "discus" also gave us other words like "disk" and "dais" (a raised platform, often for a table), showing how the idea of a flat or round surface branched out into different meanings over centuries.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Dish
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "dish":
Dish it out: To give out criticism, punishment, or abuse.
Dish up: To serve food.
Dish the dirt: To gossip or reveal scandalous information.
Revenge is a dish best served cold: A proverb meaning that revenge is more satisfying when exacted calmly and after a long time.
As clean as a whistle (or a washed dish): Extremely clean.
A dish fit for a king: Something of very high quality, especially food.
To dish out compliments: To give out praise.
A pretty dish: An attractive person (often a woman).
Stuck on a dish: Obsessed with or infatuated by someone attractive.
To dish something to someone: To pass something (often information or a problem) to someone else.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of dish from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
