# dish

> English word · Noun · IPA /dɪʃ/ · frequency rank #5,028

## Definitions
1. A vessel such as a plate for holding or serving food, often flat with a depressed region in the middle.
2. The contents of such a vessel.
3. A specific type of prepared food.
4. Tableware (including cutlery, etc, as well as crockery) that is to be or is being washed after being used to prepare, serve and eat a meal.
5. A type of antenna with a similar shape to a plate or bowl.
6. A sexually attractive person.
7. The state of being concave, like a dish, or the degree of such concavity.
8. A hollow place, as in a field.
9. The home plate.
10. A trough in which ore is measured.
11. That portion of the produce of a mine which is paid to the land owner or proprietor.
12. Gossip.

## Etymology
From Middle English dissh, disch, from Old English disċ (“plate; bowl; dish”), from Proto-West Germanic *disk (“table; dish”) (whence also Proto-Slavic *dъska, whence Bulgarian дъска́ (dǎská), Polish deska, Russian доска́ (doská)), Russian чан (čan)) from Latin discus. Doublet of dais, desk, disc, discus, disk, and diskos.
Cognates
Cognate with Scots disch (“dish; plate”), Dutch dis (“table”), German Low German Disk, Disch (“table”), German Tisch (“table”), Danish disk (“dish; counter”), Swedish disk (“dish; counter”), Icelandic diskur (“dish; plate”), Finnish tiski (“desk, counter; dish”).
Compare the identical meaning expansion (vessel for food, then also content of such a vessel, then also specific type of food): Bulgarian блю́до (bljúdo), Russian блю́до (bljúdo). For the roundness aspect compare Polish rondel (“pan, saucepan”) (< Latin rotundus (whence also English round)). Also compare typologically Proto-Slavic *misъka << Latin mēnsa; Ancient Greek πίναξ (pínax) (several meanings).

## Easily confused with
- **DS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-ds)
- **DIY** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-diy)
- **DOS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dos)
- **duh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-duh)
- **DJs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-djs)
- **div** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-div)
- **DPS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dps)
- **DSM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dsm)
- **DMs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dms)
- **Dix** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dix)
- **doh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-doh)
- **DSP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dsp)
- **dit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dit)
- **DSL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dsl)
- **DTs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dts)
- **DSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dsa)
- **DSI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dsi)
- **dust** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dust)
- **dose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dose)
- **dive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dish-vs-dive)

## Common misspellings (6)
`ddish`, `dihs`, `dishh`, `dissh`, `dsih`, `idsh`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dish