delicatessen

[ del-i-kuh-tes-uhn ]

noun

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.

delicatessen

/ ˌdɛlɪkəˈtɛsən /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of delicatessen¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of delicatessen¹

C19: from German Delikatessen, literally: delicacies, pl of Delikatesse a delicacy, from French délicatesse

Example Sentences

The fentanyl epidemic is often literally at its doorstep, along with the same raft of public safety issues that prompted the exasperated owner of nearby Langer’s Delicatessen to tell me in August that he was thinking of shutting down after 77 years in business.

From Los Angeles Times

Other announced tenants are Bark Social, an off-leash membership dog park and social club, experiential art gallery Hopscotch, Mike Hess Brewing, restaurants Poppy + Rose, King and Queen Cantina, and Mario’s Neighborhood Butcher Shop & Delicatessen.

From Los Angeles Times

From Central Park to Katz’s Delicatessen, this unserious primer covers the Big Apple basics for any Angeleno considering a quick trip east for the NLCS.

From Los Angeles Times

Katz’s Delicatessen: This Lower East Side eatery is the setting for the famous scene in “When Harry Met Sally” when Meg Ryan, dining with Billy Crystal, pretends she’s actually eating at Langer’s Deli in Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

“Samurai Delicatessen”: I loved seeing John Belushi do anything, but the samurai bits were always good, and “Samurai Delicatessen” was the topper for me.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cafeteria
• deli