smorgasbord

Where does the word "smorgasbord" come from? It comes from Swedish smörgåsbord, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Smorgasbord’s story begins in Swedish: smörgåsbord meant “a buffet table of open sandwiches.” Combining "smörgås" (open sandwich) and "bord" (table). It reached English by 1900s as smorgasbord. Adopted for a buffet-style meal, later used figuratively. Today, smorgasbord means a buffet meal offering a variety of dishes, or a broad, varied selection.

1. Stage 1 · Swedish · medieval smörgåsbord "a buffet table of open sandwiches", combining "smörgås" (open sandwich) and "bord" (table).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s smorgasbord "a wide variety of dishes served buffet-style", adopted for a buffet-style meal, later used figuratively.