cafeteria — a restaurant where customers serve themselves from a counter and pay before eating
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a restaurant where customers serve themselves from a counter and pay before eating
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˌkæfəˈtɪriə/
Example Sentences
- The office cafeteria's mystery meat made everyone suspicious of Tuesday specials.
- Students rushed to the cafeteria as soon as the lunch bell rang.
- The hospital cafeteria surprisingly served better coffee than most restaurants.
cafeteria
NOUN[/ˌkæfəˈtɪriə/]
a restaurant where customers serve themselves from a counter and pay before eating
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Mexican Spanish cafetería (1839), derived from cafetero meaning 'coffee seller' or 'coffee shop'. The term evolved in early 20th-century America to denote a self-service restaurant model.
Breakdown
café (coffee) + -tería (suffix denoting a place or establishment, from Latin -teria).
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The office cafeteria's mystery meat made everyone suspicious of Tuesday specials.”
“Students rushed to the cafeteria as soon as the lunch bell rang.”
“The hospital cafeteria surprisingly served better coffee than most restaurants.”
“He met his future wife while fighting over the last piece of cake in the company cafeteria.”
📚Related Words
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