delicatessen

American  

[del-i-kuh-tes-uhn] / ˌdɛl ɪ kəˈtɛs ən /

noun

• delicatessens
  plural

1. a store selling foods already prepared or requiring little preparation for serving, as cooked meats, cheese, salads, and the like.

2. Informal. the food products sold in such a store or at a counter.

   We're having delicatessen for dinner.

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delicatessen British  

/ ˌdɛlɪkəˈtɛsən /

noun

1. a shop selling various foods, esp unusual or imported foods, already cooked or prepared

2. such foods

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• delicatessens
  plural

Etymology

Origin of delicatessen

1885–90, < German, plural of Delikatesse dainty < French délicatesse

Explanation

A delicatessen is a small market where you can buy prepared food, sandwiches, sliced meat and cheese, and other food items. Your morning routine might include a stop at the delicatessen for a toasted bagel. A delicatessen is a specialty food shop that often specializes in traditionally Jewish, Italian, or German foods. While you can stock up on bread, milk, and other staples at many delicatessens, they're best known for unusual ethnic foods and prepared sandwiches and salads. The word delicatessen comes from the German delikatessen, which is plural for delikatesse, "delicacy" or "fine food."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

delicatessen delicatessens

Her three siblings have already emigrated, and she is considering shutting down her small delicatessen to follow them abroad.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

The city’s appetizing stores, which first appeared in the late 19th century, are a type of delicatessen that only sells products such as smoked and cured fish, dairy and nuts due to kosher law.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025

Opening her delicatessen just after lockdown, she has lived in the town for 12 years and has seen the number of independent shops flourish, even though "most High Streets have died these days".

From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2025

They gave me this fantastic send-off, with a pop-up delicatessen on the set, called Sam’s Delicatessen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2024

That day he had been so surprised that he rushed to a delicatessen, flung wide a case, and ordered a tripledecker beef sandwich.

From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury

The farm has supplied restaurants including the Michelin-starred Les Crayères in Reims, as well as delicatessens and private clients, Franceinfo reports.

From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2025

They’ve recently embraced a unique kind of street style — one that’s emblazoned with logos of famous delicatessens and their most popular offerings, like knishes, pastrami, pickles and bagels.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2023

Learn how to roll with the best in an afternoon lesson from the sfogline of La Salumeria, one of the city’s best delicatessens.

From National Geographic ● Apr. 17, 2023

So, much of what you used to love — diners, bike shops, tailors, hat stores, delicatessens, art-supply stores, bistros — disappeared.

From New York Times ● Dec. 27, 2019

Like all Jewish delicatessens, this shop contains everything that any patron is willing to buy, and in addition, elaborates the coffee-house idea into any shape that circumstances may suggest.

From The Library and Society Reprints of Papers and Addresses by Arthur Elmore Bostwick

Related Words

• cafeteria
• deli