Meanings
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1
noun
an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite
They ordered a dry apéritif while waiting for dinner.
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2
noun
figurative: a small preliminary taste intended to prepare interest for what follows
The short recital served as an apéritif before the full concert.
Thesaurus
Etymology
Borrowed from French aperitif, from Medieval Latin aperitivus, 'opening,' from Latin aperire, 'to open.' The drink was so called because it was believed to open or stimulate the appetite. English writes the word both apéritif and aperitif.