What does vinegarette mean?
A vinegarette is a small bottle or flask for holding vinegar, particularly one placed on a dining table as part of a formal place setting. The word is now rare and has a chiefly British, somewhat literary or dated character, so modern speakers are more likely to say vinegar bottle or cruet. It should not be confused with vinaigrette: although the two terms have overlapping histories and vinaigrette can still refer to a small vinegar bottle, its familiar modern meaning is a salad dressing. Knowing vinegarette is useful when reading older travel writing, historical dining accounts, or descriptions of traditional table service. Its diminutive ending, -ette, reinforces the sense of a small container and connects it with the wider family of English and French words associated with vinegar.
nounA small bottle or flask used for holding vinegar, especially one used at a dining table.
- A small bottle or flask in which vinegar is held, especially for use at a dining table.
"The waiter placed a small silver vinegarette on the table beside the cruet."
"The waiter placed a small silver vinegarette on the table beside the cruet."
"At the formal dinner, each guest received a vinegarette containing freshly strained vinegar."
The plural is used for multiple small vinegar bottles, particularly in formal table settings.
"The polished vinegarettes stood beside the salt and pepper shakers."
A vinegarette turns an everyday condiment into a miniature piece of tableware: a tiny bottle with a surprisingly formal history.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vinegarette
Vinegarette is an English diminutive formed from vinegar with the suffix -ette, meaning a small or lesser object. It belongs to a wider family that includes the related French-derived vinaigrette, whose modern principal meaning is a salad dressing, though it can also denote a small vinegar bottle. The word survives mainly in British usage and in historical or literary contexts, with its present-day counterpart being vinegar bottle or cruet.
How vinegarette is actually used
Rare and somewhat dated, especially in British English. It is chiefly found in literary, historical, or formal descriptions of dining arrangements and table service.
Easily confused with vinegarette
A vinegarette is specifically a small container for vinegar, whereas vinaigrette today usually means a salad dressing, although it can also denote an ornamental vinegar bottle.