What’s the difference between a compote, a comport and a tazza? Some additional responses

Jane Spillman, curator of American Glass at The Corning Museum of Glass, supplies the following:

Compote and Comport are different spellings of the same shape, as far as I know. The French term is compotier, which is also used in English sometimes. Both compote and comport are in the dictionary with the same definition, and they derive from a term for cooked fruit. So that’s what you’re supposed to serve in the compote/comport. No definition indicates the presence of a cover.
Tazza is an Italian term for a footed cup, which if small, was drunk out of, and, if larger, was used like a compote. It’s related to the French word for a cup, tasse.

From Gail Bardham, reference and research librarian at the Rakow Library.

This is the entry in the Oxford English Dictionary for comport.
A dessert dish raised upon a stem or support.

1771 in J. E. Nightingale Contrib. E.E. Porcelain (1881) 26 Four shell pattern comports, enamel’d in flowers. 1783 Ibid. p. lxxxii, A capital desert service of Worcester,..containing 18 comports of various shapes. 1811 in Jewitt Ceramic Art Gt. Brit. (1878) II. 107, 4 Comports of Landscapes, 6 Comports of plants. 1862 Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit. II. No. 6769 Dessert service of flint glass,..consisting of decanters, carafes, finger basins, ice plates, elevated comports, jugs,..and other glasses. 1881 Porcelain Wks., Worcester 7 Comports for dessert services. 1883 Daily News 18 Dec. 3/7 The dessert service of Crown Derby china which is to be presented to Mr. Gladstone..consists of 26 pieces18 plates and eight comports. 1924 H. BARNARD Chats on Wedgwood Ware 91 Dessert baskets, comports, compotiers, custard stands and cups, and candlesticks..in plain glazed cream colour.

Finally, Scott Hansen in response to Wayne Montano’s suggestion that we answer the question for him of lotto ticket numbers answers with

Tell Wayne that the group will supply the winning numbers if he promises to share the winnings.

We call this art glass collector humor.