Definitions

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

  • noun A large spoon for serving food.
  • noun A household cooking measure equal to 3 teaspoons, or 1/2 fluid ounce (15 milliliters).

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A spoon, larger than a teaspoon or dessert-spoon, used in the service of the table.

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

  • noun A spoon of the largest size commonly used at the table; -- distinguished from teaspoon, dessert spoon, etc.

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

  • noun Canada, US A large spoon, used for eating food from a bowl.
  • noun Australia, New Zealand, Northern UK A spoon too large for eating, usually used for cooking or serving.
  • noun cooking A unit of volume, the value of which varies regionally; in the US: three teaspoons or roughly 15 ml; in Britain and Canada: exactly 15 ml; in Australia: four teaspoons or 20 ml.

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

  • noun a spoon larger than a dessert spoon; used for serving
  • noun as much as a tablespoon will hold

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From table +‎ spoon.

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Examples

  • Add a dash more fish sauce, a dollop (about a tablespoon is all I use, but some folks like more) oyster sauce and lime juice, boil until sauce cooks down (this takes about thirty-45 seconds, really).

    Tigers & Strawberries » Thai Basil 2005

  • Well, 2.9% of a tablespoon is probably less than half a gram.

    Yes, There's Lactose in Heavy Cream Steve Carper 2008

  • 2 Tbsp. Armagnac (optional) 12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened at room temperature, cut in tablespoon-size pieces

    Venison Recipe: Terrance Brennan's Venison Tenderloin 2009

  • I use Mortons kosher salt, which has a close volume-to-weight ratio; that is, a tablespoon equals ounce.

    Ratio Michael Ruhlman 2009

  • Heinz Reduced Sugar Ketchup has one gram of sugar per tablespoon, which is a whopping 75% less sugar than regular ketchup.

    Shrimp Cocktail Recipe with Low-Sugar Cocktail Sauce Kalyn Denny 2008

  • Heinz Reduced Sugar Ketchup has one gram of sugar per tablespoon, which is a whopping 75% less sugar than regular ketchup.

    Archive 2008-06-01 Kalyn Denny 2008

  • I think I'm always looking at the amount in a tablespoon, which is pretty small!

    Recipe Update: Sweet and Sour Broccoli Salad with Agave Nectar Kalyn Denny 2007

  • Each sketch has a little something of the subject in it -- namely a tablespoon-sized portion of their cremated ashes.

    Archive 2007-07-01 2007

  • Mopping a spill inefficiently, for example, or getting glue on the table after I gave her glue and felt and paper to keep her amused while I talked and ignored her, or putting all the pinenuts on the table rather than eating them about a tablespoon was the "all".

    Homestart ailbhe 2006

  • Maybe just a very, very heaping tablespoon (and by "tablespoon" I don't mean the wimpy measuring spoon, but rather the "big" spoon in my flatware set, which is more ... well, shovel-like).

    Rationalization 2006

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