cellar

American  

[sel-er] / ˈsɛl ər /

noun

1. a room, or set of rooms, for the storage of food, fuel, etc., wholly or partly underground and usually beneath a building.

2. an underground room or story.

3. wine cellar.

4. Sports. the lowest position in a group ranked in order of games won.

   The team was in the cellar for most of the season.

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verb (used with object)

1. to place or store in a cellar.

cellar British  

/ ˈsɛlə /

noun

1. an underground room, rooms, or storey of a building, usually used for storage Compare basement

2. a place where wine is stored

3. a stock of bottled wines

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verb

1. (tr) to store in a cellar

Other Word Forms

• cellarless adjective

Etymology

Origin of cellar

1175–1225; Middle English celer < Anglo-French < Latin cellārium storeroom, equivalent to cell ( a ) cell + -ārium -ary; later respelling to reflect Latin form; -er ², -ar ²

Example Sentences

She hates the cellar because it almost made her parents get divorced.

From Literature

In his sister's room in Southampton, Thomas found a cellar spider carrying a ball of eggs in her jaws.

From BBC

There was a small potato cellar beneath the kitchen floor: they enlarged the trapdoor letting into it, put a large rug on top of it, and moved the kitchen table to stand on this spot.

From Literature

But best of all, down in the cellar Mutti discovered a whole ham.

From Literature

“It’s more like soul food from your cellar,” he says.

From Salon

Related Words

• apartment
• basement
• vault