/ ˈɒntreɪ; NAmE ˈɑːn-/ noun (from French )
1.
[ C ] (in a restaurant or at a formal meal) the main dish of the meal or a dish served before the main course
2.
[ U , C ] entrée (into / to sth) ( formal ) the right or ability to enter a social group or institution
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WORD ORIGIN
early 18th cent. (denoting a piece of instrumental music forming the first part of a suite): French , feminine past participle of entrer enter, from Latin intrare , from intra within.