cater
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
Cater, serve, provide, and supply all involve giving something to people, but they differ in scope and context. Cater is the most specific: it refers to preparing and bringing food and drinks to an event as a paid service. Serve focuses on the act of presenting food or drink at the table — a waiter serves a meal, but a company caters it. Provide is the broadest term and can be used for anything from food to information to housing. Supply is similar to provide but often implies a regular or commercial arrangement, such as supplying ingredients to a kitchen. For example: a bakery supplies bread to the cafe, the cafe serves it to customers, and a separate company caters the cafe's launch party.
Common collocations
Etymology
Cater entered English in the 1300s from the Middle English word catour, meaning 'buyer' or 'purchaser of provisions.' This came from Anglo-French acatour, from acater ('to buy'), which derived from Vulgar Latin accaptare ('to purchase'), a combination of Latin ad- ('to, toward') and captare ('to seize, take hold of'). The modern sense of providing food and service for social events developed in the 1600s, when a cater was someone who bought supplies for a household or event.