cater
UK[ˈkeɪtə(r)]US[ˈkeɪtər]
v
to provide food and drinks for a social event
v
to provide what is wanted or needed by a particular person or group
Etymology
the verb 'cater' entered english in the late middle english period, borrowed from the anglo-norman french 'acater', meaning 'to buy'. this, in turn, derived from the vulgar latin 'accaptāre', a compound of the latin 'ad-' (to) and 'captāre' (to strive to seize), an intensive form of 'capere' (to take). the original sense was 'to buy provisions'. the meaning evolved specifically to 'provide food' and later broadened to the more general sense of supplying what is desired or required. this semantic shift from the commercial act of purchasing to the service-oriented act of providing illustrates a classic path of specialization and then generalization.
Analysis
this word is a loanword from anglo-norman french and is not productively formed from separable morphemes in modern english.
Examples
the restaurant can cater for weddings of up to 200 guests.
the magazine caters to people with an interest in photography.
we need to find a company that caters office lunches.