tablespoon

Noun

tablespoon (plural tablespoons)

1. (Canada, US) A large spoon, used for eating food from a bowl.
   • Their eggs were deposited on a few bits of straw, and great caution was necessary in attempting to procure them, as the slightest touch crumbled their frail tenement into dust. By means of a tablespoon, I was enabled to procure many of them.1840, John James Audubon, The Birds of America, volume 1, page 178

   Synonyms:

   dessertspoon, dessert spoon

2. (Australia, New Zealand, Northern-UK) A spoon too large for eating, usually used for cooking or serving.
3. A unit of volume, the value of which varies regionally; in the US: three teaspoons or one half fluid ounce or roughly 15 ml; in Britain and Canada: exactly 15 ml; in Russia 18 ml; in Australia: four teaspoons or 20 ml.
   • Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet until hot and quickly saute the goat-cheese buttons on both sides until brown.1995 May 22, Salad Recipes, New York, page 51
   • In Australia, 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml, and there are 4 teaspoons in the Australian tablespoon.2003, Better Homes and Gardens, Biggest Book of Bread Machine Recipes, page 416

   Synonyms:

   tablespoonful, tbsp, tbs, f℥ss, f℥ß