Things that begin something or get something going, like appetizers that start a meal, or people who are at the beginning of a race.
From 'starter,' derived from Old Norse 'sterta' meaning to jump up abruptly. Combined with the '-er' suffix meaning 'one who,' it became 'starter' (something that starts), and the plural is 'starters.'
In sports, the 'starters' on a team are the players who begin the game, and in restaurants, 'starters' (appetizers) literally start your meal—it's the same concept in totally different worlds!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.