Etymologically
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booth

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /buːð/, /buːθ/ (UK); /buθ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English bothe, probably borrowed from Old Danish bōþ (“temporary dwelling, stall”),[2][3][4] from East Norse *bōa, to dwell (Old Norse búa, búð),[2][4][5] from Proto-Germanic *bōwan-, from PIE Proto-Indo-European *bheue- (“to be, exist, grow”) (see bower).[2][4] Compare German Bude (“booth, stall”), Middle Dutch boode, Old Irish both, hut, and Polish buda, some borrowed from East Norse and some independent.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A temporary dwelling or stall: in place names from about 1145 (Bouthum);[3][2] as a common noun about 1200, in the Ormulum.[3][6]

Semantic evolution

The spelling booth appears about 1450 and was established in the 1500s.[3] A covered market stall or a tent at a fair for the sale of goods or entertainment is also from about 1200.[6][2] A temporary structure covered with canvas is from 1535,[6] a polling booth from 1846,[6] and a telephone booth from 1930.[6] In northern English dialect a booth was also a cow-house or dairy.[7] A restaurant seating area with high-backed benches is a later American sense.[8][9]

Timeline

  • c. 1145 – in a place name.[3]
  • c. 1200 – a temporary dwelling; a stall.[6]
  • c. 1450 – spelling booth.[3]
  • 1846 – polling booth.[6]
  • 1930 – telephone booth.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A stall for showing or selling goods, especially a temporary one at a fair or market.
  2. A small enclosed compartment for one person, as for telephoning or voting.
  3. A seating area in a restaurant with a table between high-backed benches.

Word family

  • bothy
  • polling booth
  • telephone booth
  • phone booth

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins