Definition of "tablespoon"

Their eggs were deposited on a few bits of straw, and great caution was necessary in attempting to procure them, as the slightest touch crumbled their frail tenement into dust. By means of a tablespoon, I was enabled to procure many of them.

1840, John James Audubon, The Birds of America‎, volume 1, page 178

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet until hot and quickly saute the goat-cheese buttons on both sides until brown.

1995 May 22, Salad Recipes, New York, page 51

In Australia, 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml, and there are 4 teaspoons in the Australian tablespoon.

2003, Better Homes and Gardens, Biggest Book of Bread Machine Recipes‎, page 416

If you are using a 15 ml (3 teaspoon) tablespoon, for most recipes the difference will not be noticeable.

2006, Tempted: 150 Very Wicked Desserts, Murdoch Books, UK, copyright page

The problem gives us a number of tablespoons of cooking oil and asks us to convert this amount into milliliters. We are also told that one tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons, but this is a relationship between two units, not an actual measurement.

2012, James Armstrong, Kellee Hollyman, General, Organic, and Biochemistry: An Applied Approach, Cengage Learning, US, page 27