delicatessen
del-i-kuh-TES-uhn
/ˌdelɪkəˈtesn/
A shop selling high-quality prepared foods, cold cuts, cheeses, and imported delicacies.
Often shortened to 'deli', it carries a connotation of specialty, often European-style, prepared foods rather than just standard groceries.
The story behind the word. Borrowed in the late 19th century from the German Delikatessen, which is the plural of Delikatesse ('delicacy'). The Germans had borrowed it from French délicatesse, which ultimately traces back to Latin delicatus, meaning 'giving pleasure' or 'dainty'.
Word relationships
- deli: The common, informal abbreviation of delicatessen, used in everyday speech.
Commonly confused with
- grocery: A grocery sells general raw ingredients and household goods, whereas a delicatessen focuses on prepared, specialty, and gourmet foods.
Word family
- deli (noun): Informal short form of delicatessen.
Collocations
- kosher delicatessen
- neighborhood delicatessen
- delicatessen counter
Example sentences
- "The classic New York delicatessen was packed with customers clamoring for hot pastrami on rye." Describing a classic New York food experience.
- "He walked into the delicatessen, his nose greeted by the sharp tang of pickles and smoked fish." A literary description of a specialty shop.
Memory hook
Think of a place selling DELI-cious DELI-cacies to a giant deli-CAT. Deli-cacies for a cat.
When not to use
Do not use to describe a raw meat butcher shop or a standard large-scale supermarket aisle that only sells pre-packaged goods.
Fun facts
- The oldest continuously operating delicatessen in the US is Katz's Delicatessen in New York City, founded in 1888.
Related words
Explore more words
deli, delicacy, gourmet, delectable, degustation, connoisseur
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