The term "dessert" originated from the French word desservir, meaning 'to clear the table', and it referred to the final course of the meal, presented after the table was 'cleared' (deservi). The word "dessert" is most commonly used for this course in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States, while it is one of several synonyms, including "pudding", "sweet" and "afters", in the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries.

Note that the British usage of pudding is a broader term. Originating from the Medieval period, a 'pudding' was a boiled dish usually cooked in a vessel of some kind whether a pudding basin or 'runners' (animal skins or stomach). This is why sweet and savoury 'puddings' exist and why steamed or boiled sponges, Christmas pudding, black pudding and white pudding as well as haggis are all labelled 'puddings' though not all are desserts.

Sweetmeats and candied fruit were considered the food of the gods in manny ancient civilizations. However, it was probably the Romans that developed sweet dishes to conclude a meal. One of the earliest uses of the term in a culinary context is in the Ménagier de Paris (1393), which includes a course of 'desserte' in three of the menus, one of which includes sweet pastries and fruits, another of which includes savory frumenty and venison. In fact, in Medieval medicine, where the stomach was considered like a type of oven and completing a meal with a sweet course was believed to tamp down on the stomach, keeping the heat in and aiding digestion.

A dessert can consist of a range of dishes such as cakes; ices and ice creams; fruit, puddings (in the US a base of flavoured milk thickened with starches; in the UK a boiled or steamed batter including flour and suet; internationally rice, tapioca or couscous cooked in milk); sweet tarts and pies; sweetmeats; chocolate-based confections; custards and deep-fried sweet treats.