à la carte

[ ah luh kahrt, al-uh; French a la kart ]

adjective

1. with a separate price for each dish offered on the menu: Compare prix fixe, table d'hôte.

   dinner à la carte.

2. with a separate price for each item on a list:

   Spa treatments can be booked à la carte, or you can choose one of our packages.

à la carte

/ a la kart; ɑː lɑː ˈkɑːt; æ lə /

adjective

1. (of a menu or a section of a menu) having dishes listed separately and individually priced Compare table d'hôte
2. (of a dish) offered on such a menu; not part of a set meal

Word History and Origins

Origin of à la carte¹

First recorded in 1815–20; from French: literally, “according to the menu”; carte

Word History and Origins

Origin of à la carte¹

C19: from French, literally: according to the card

Example Sentences

“This feels like an a la carte menu,” said one.

From Los Angeles Times

The plaintiffs say that instead of making fans pay for access to every game, the league should have provided a la carte options so subscribers could zero in on a specific team or game.

From Los Angeles Times

“One African leader said to me: 'We get tired of a Chinese buffet, we'd like to go a la carte, we want choice,' ” he says.

From BBC

Ideally, scientists one day could tailor a phage therapeutic to infect a specific bacterium and design "a la carte" therapeutics with precise traits and characteristics to treat individual infections.

From Science Daily

On Christmas Day, you can choose between a special four-course holiday menu with options including hazelnut stuffed pork loin, prime rib and butternut squash ravioli, or an a la carte holiday menu.

From Seattle Times