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smorgasbord

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smor⋅gas⋅bord

  [smawr-guhs-bawrd, -bohrd or, often, shmawr-]
Use smorgasbord in a Sentence
–noun
1. a buffet meal of various hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, salads, casserole dishes, meats, cheeses, etc.
2. an extensive array or variety: The company has a smorgasbord of employee benefits.
Also, smör⋅gås⋅bord  [Sw. smœr-gaws-boord] .

Origin:
1915–20; < Sw smörgsbord, equiv. to smörgs sandwich + bord table
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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smor·gas·bord   (smôr'gəs-bôrd', -bōrd')   
n.  

  1. A buffet meal featuring a varied number of dishes.

  2. A varied collection: "a smorgasbord of fashionable paranormal beliefs" (Martin Gardner).


[Swedish smörgåsbord : smörgås, bread and butter (smör, butter from Old Norse + Swedish dialectal gås, lump of butter from Old Norse gās, goose; see gosling) + bord, table (from Old Norse bordh).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

smorgasbord 
1893, from Swed. smörgåsbord "open sandwich table," lit. "butter-goose table," from smörgås, which is said to mean "bread and butter," but is compounded from smör "butter" (related to smear) and gås, lit. "goose" (and from the root of Eng. goose), which is said to have a secondary meaning of "a clump(of butter)." The final element is bord "table" (cf. board (n.1)). Fig. sense of "medley, miscellany" is recorded from 1948.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

smorgasbord

in Swedish cuisine, buffet offering a variety of fish, cheeses, and hot and cold dishes. In the country districts of Sweden, it was customary for guests to contribute to the fare at large gatherings. The foods were set out on long tables from which the diners helped themselves. By the 18th century, festive meals were preceded by appetizers from a bannvinsbord, offering aquavit, herring, and other delicacies.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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