finger-bowl

A form of finger bowl — A small bowl of warm water placed at each seat at a formal dinner for the guests to rinse their fingers with between courses.

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Meanings

nounfinger-bowl (plural finger-bowls)

plural finger-bowls

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of finger bowl.

    Small silver dishes of almonds, olives, and confectionery were dotted about, and finger-bowls with plates were set out on the side-table.

    1904, Carolyn Wells, “A Tea Club Tea”, in Patty at Home, New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, →OCLC, pages 140–141
Cite this entry
APA

finger-bowl. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/finger-bowl

MLA

“finger-bowl.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/finger-bowl. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “finger-bowl,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/finger-bowl.

Source: finger-bowl on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.