cafeteria
/ˌkæfəˈtɪ(ə)ɹi.ə/
UK: /ˌkafəˈtɪə̯.ɹi.ə/
KÆFƏTꞮ(Ə)ɹI · ə (2 syllables)
English
Noun Top 8,341
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Definition
A restaurant in which customers select their food at a counter then carry it on a tray to a table to eat.
Etymology
Borrowed from Mexican Spanish cafetería (“coffeehouse”), from cafetera (“coffee maker”), from French cafetière, from café, from Ottoman Turkish قهوه (kahve) (Turkish kahve), from Arabic قَهْوَة (qahwa, “coffee”). Doublet of cafetière.
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