*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of menu

Borrowed from French menu. Doublet of menudo and minute.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To include (something) in a menu.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from French menu. Doublet of menudo and minute.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "menu"
      },
      "expansion": "French menu"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "menudo",
        "3": "minute"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of menudo and minute"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "menu",
      "menu#French"
    ],
    [
      "menudo",
      "menudo#English"
    ],
    [
      "minute",
      "minute#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To include (something) in a menu."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "f6d645324b4261d27b074ca159f77e2d938871c4f70ad7fd1ba0c8f3b809bb99",
      "rawRecordSha256": "53ff37d4c73bb5727e805f643ff6fe8b05353bd76e80dad0cc2ccc34ef0a00f7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 44736
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

The details of the food to be served at a banquet; a bill of fare. · A list containing the food and beverages served at a restaurant, café, or bar. Menus may be printed on paper sheets provided to customers, put on a large poster or display board inside the establishment, displayed outside the restaurant, or digital. · The food or drinks that are available in a restaurant, café, or bar. · A list from which the user may select an operation to be performed, often done with a keyboard, mouse, or controller under a graphical user interface.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from French menu. Doublet of menudo and minute.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "menu"
      },
      "expansion": "French menu"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "menudo",
        "3": "minute"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of menudo and minute"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "menu",
      "menu#French"
    ],
    [
      "menudo",
      "menudo#English"
    ],
    [
      "minute",
      "minute#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Afrikaans",
      "lang_code": "af",
      "word": "menu",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "lang_code": "bn",
      "word": "মেনু",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "menu"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Burmese",
      "lang_code": "my",
      "word": "မီနူး",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "minu:"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Cebuano",
      "lang_code": "ceb",
      "word": "menu",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Gulf Arabic",
      "lang_code": "afb",
      "word": "منيو",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "minyu"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "lang_code": "hi",
      "word": "मेनू",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "menū"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "メニュー",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "menyū"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "word": "메뉴",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "menyu"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "word": "menu",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Thai",
      "lang_code": "th",
      "word": "เมนู",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mee-nuu"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Tok Pisin",
      "lang_code": "tpi",
      "word": "menyu",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The details of the food to be served at a banquet; a bill of fare.",
        "A list containing the food and beverages served at a restaurant, café, or bar. Menus may be printed on paper sheets provided to customers, put on a large poster or display board inside the establishment, displayed outside the restaurant, or digital.",
        "The food or drinks that are available in a restaurant, café, or bar.",
        "A list from which the user may select an operation to be performed, often done with a keyboard, mouse, or controller under a graphical user interface."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "3f5632ffb7c0304dddd7ca2bcb1b73737da0a0ee680d76907b6073c48407d342",
      "rawRecordSha256": "577f66893cd02af1dec5332347fbaeacfd25f6069123bd9581a18d652afb7eee",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 44735
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for menu →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bWVudQ