lentrée

L entrée, written l’entrée before a vowel, is a French noun with several related senses centered on the idea of entering or being admitted. Its etymology traces to the Latin intrare, via Old French, and the word is feminine, hence l’entrée or la entrée in writing when not elided. The plural is entrées, used for multiple instances of the concept.

In everyday use, l’entrée most commonly refers to a physical doorway or access point. It can denote the entrance to a building, a room, or a site, as in l’entrée principale or l’entrée du musée. The term can also refer to the architectural space that serves as an entry hall or foyer.

A broader sense covers the act or moment of entering. On a stage or in a scene, one speaks of a person’s entrée or the entrance on stage, and in records or lists, une entrée can mean an item or record added to a dataset, register, or menu.

In gastronomy, the French sense of l’entrée designates the first course served in a meal. In France, the entrée is the starter; in many North American menus, however, the term entrees often corresponds to the main course, reflecting a shift in usage.

Other common phrases include prix d’entrée (admission price) and porte d’entrée (entrance door). The word also appears in formal or literary contexts to denote admission, entry, or introduction, as in l’entrée dans une société or l’entrée en scène.

Overall, l’entrée centers on the notion of entering, access, or something admitted into a sequence, whether a physical space, a record, or a course setting.