Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To provide food or entertainment.
  • intransitive verb To be particularly attentive or solicitous; minister.
  • intransitive verb To provide food service for.
  • intransitive verb To attend to the wants or needs of.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A caterer; a purveyor; an acater.
  • To make provision, as of food, entertainment, etc.; act as a purveyor: as, to cater to a depraved appetite.
  • noun The four-spot of cards or dice.
  • To cut diagonally.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The four of cards or dice.
  • intransitive verb To provide food; to buy, procure, or prepare provisions.
  • intransitive verb By extension: To supply what is needed or desired, at theatrical or musical entertainments; -- followed by for or to.
  • noun obsolete A provider; a purveyor; a caterer.
  • transitive verb obsolete To cut diagonally.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To provide food professionally for a special occasion.
  • verb transitive To provide things to satisfy a person or a need, to serve.
  • noun obsolete A provider; a purveyor; a caterer.
  • verb obsolete To cut diagonally.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb supply food ready to eat; for parties and banquets
  • verb give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From obsolete cater, a buyer of provisions, from Middle English catour, short for acatour, from Norman French, from acater, to buy, from Vulgar Latin *accaptāre : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin captāre, to chase; see catch.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English catour ("buyer"), from Old English acatour, from Old French achater ("to buy, to purchase")

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