'antipasti' originates from Italian, specifically the word 'antipasto', where 'anti-' (from Latin/Greek) meant 'before' and 'pasto' meant 'meal'.

'antipasto' derives from Medieval Latin 'antepastus' (literally 'taken before a meal'), which became Italian 'antipasto' (plural 'antipasti') and was later borrowed into English with the same form.

Initially it meant simply 'a course taken before the meal'; over time in English it commonly refers to an assortment of small starter dishes served before the main course.