Plural of cookout; outdoor social gatherings where food is cooked and eaten, typically using a grill or open fire.
Cookout is a compound word combining cook and out, first appearing in American English in the early 20th century. It emerged as leisure time and outdoor entertaining became more common in middle-class culture.
Cookout is a distinctly American term that captured a new social practice and became iconic—you won't find exact equivalents in British English (they say 'barbecue'), showing how vocabulary evolves to match cultural practices and values.
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