cellar

American  

[sel-er] / ˈsɛl ər /

noun

1. a room, or set of rooms, for the storage of food, fuel, etc., wholly or partly underground and usually beneath a building.

2. an underground room or story.

3. wine cellar.

4. Sports. the lowest position in a group ranked in order of games won.

   The team was in the cellar for most of the season.

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verb (used with object)

1. to place or store in a cellar.

cellar British  

/ ˈsɛlə /

noun

1. an underground room, rooms, or storey of a building, usually used for storage Compare basement

2. a place where wine is stored

3. a stock of bottled wines

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verb

1. (tr) to store in a cellar

Other Word Forms

• cellarless adjective

Etymology

Origin of cellar

1175–1225; Middle English celer < Anglo-French < Latin cellārium storeroom, equivalent to cell ( a ) cell + -ārium -ary; later respelling to reflect Latin form; see -er ², -ar ²

Explanation

A cellar is a basic, unfinished basement. In a very old house, the cellar might have stone walls and a rough dirt floor. Your cellar might basically be a basement, a place you keep your tools and do your laundry. Some cellars have specific purposes, including a storm cellar, where you take cover during a tornado or other storm, and a root cellar, where you store potatoes and other root vegetables during the cold months of the year. This kind of cellar comes the closest to the meaning of the Latin root, cellarium: "pantry or storeroom."

Example Sentences

The property, which was originally built in 1998, comes complete with a gym, walk-in closet, walk-in pantry, wine cellar, an office, and a guesthouse.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

More than 130 years since its birth in a Baltimore cellar, McCormick owns the spice aisle and sells core condiments such as hot sauce and mustard.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Oregon had, on the other hand, spent most of the season in the Big Ten cellar.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

And by any yardstick, from infant mortality to life expectancy, America occupies the cellar among peer countries, including several that many would consider to be inferior.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 26, 2026

Even a warning doesn’t mean she has to go to the cellar, though.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• apartment
• basement
• vault