cafeteria

[kaf-i-teer-ee-uh]

noun

1. a restaurant in which patrons wait on themselves, carrying their food to tables from counters where it is displayed and served.

2. a lunchroom or dining hall, as in a factory, office, or school, where food is served from counters or dispensed from vending machines or where food brought from home may be eaten.

cafeteria

/ ˌkæfɪˈtɪərɪə /

noun

1. a self-service restaurant

Word History and Origins

Origin of cafeteria¹

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; from Latin American Spanish cafetería “café,” Spanish cafeter(a) “coffeemaker,” from French caf(f)etière (equivalent to café + etière feminine of -ier ); t apparently by analogy with words such as bouquetière “flower seller,” from bases ending in t ) + -ía; coffee, -ier ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of cafeteria¹

C20: from American Spanish: coffee shop

Example Sentences

This would get the attention of his brother Fernando, separated by glass offices and the trading floor, and the brothers would head to the 11th floor cafeteria together for lunch.

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Students and parents said the floating blue lockers and cafeteria murals are the same as in the movie.

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Though there were Colored bathrooms and a Colored section of the cafeteria, I usually ate at my desk.

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I didn’t know what table to sit at in the cafeteria.

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He was at a cafeteria counter late one night, sipping coffee and glancing over at a young woman sitting at a table with a book.

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Related Words

• lunchroom 
• snack bar