tavern

[tav-ern]

noun

1. a place where liquors are sold to be consumed on the premises.

   Synonyms: pub, bar

2. a public house for travelers and others; inn.

   Synonyms: hostelry

tavern

/ ˈtævən /

noun

1. a less common word for pub

2. a place licensed for the sale and consumption of alcoholic drink

Other Word Forms

• tavernless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tavern¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English taverne, from Old French, from Latin taberna “hut, inn, wine shop”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tavern¹

C13: from Old French taverne, from Latin taberna hut

Synonym Study

See hotel.

Example Sentences

Until now, the "Wurstkuchl" tavern in Bavaria has claimed to be "the oldest Bratwurst stand in the world."

Read more on BBC

The latter here is represented via a large puppet created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and the walk-through experience will take us from taverns to the back alley of a marketplace to the beholder’s lair.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Soon, Paine’s pamphlet was everywhere — whispered by soldiers in Valley Forge tents, shouted in Philadelphia taverns, quoted in sermons.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Mr Mitchell said descriptions of the tavern, which occupied the ground floor of a tall tenement, gave an impression of the claustrophobic confines of the Old Town.

Read more on BBC

They could be in pubs, taverns, inns or coffee houses.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• bar 
• hotel 
• inn 
• lodge 
• lounge 
• pub 
• saloon 
• watering hole