When I was growing up in South Africa, an entrée was an appetiser. It came before the main course. When I lived in the US I was confused because an entrée was the main course.
I looked it up and read:
Paul Freedman, professor of history at Yale and author of The Ten Restaurants that Changed America, noted that even in France the entrée isn’t actually the first course of the meal. “The entrée came third,” said Freedman, in reference to how entrée was used in France when more courses were eaten during a meal. “In this sense, the actual entrée in the United States is closer to the original meaning of the word than the entrée is in France.”
which made me more confused than ever…