salver

noun

sal·​ver ˈsal-vər 

: a tray especially for serving food or beverages

Examples of salver in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And maybe a butler is approaching with biscuits on a salver. —Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 16 May 2024

According to a history of these tables published in Traditional Home magazine in March 2008, that decorative flourish started in the early 1700s in England as the edging on a silver salver — a tray on which tea could be brought out and set down on a tea table. —Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2021

The plow, in short, has been cleaned, polished and turned on its side as a salver to serve adorable canapes in a posh lounge that once was a barn. —Mike Dunne, sacbee, 28 Feb. 2018

A few minutes later, the valet came back with the same salver holding one cigarette. —Mary Carole McCauley, baltimoresun.com, 16 Feb. 2018

Virginia Wade’s Wimbledon champion’s plate — or salver, as any proper Englishwoman would call it — is packed in a box, awaiting her imminent move from the Upper East Side of Manhattan to a new apartment near Manhasset, on Long Island. —Cindy Shmerler, New York Times, 13 July 2017

Word History

Etymology

modification of French salve, from Spanish salva sampling of food to detect poison, tray, from salvar to save, sample food to detect poison, from Late Latin salvare to save — more at save

First Known Use

circa 1661, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

salver

noun

sal·​ver ˈsal-vər 

: a serving tray