canteen

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kænˈtiːn/ (UK); /kænˈtin/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French cantine (“sutler's shop; bottle case”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Italian cantina (“wine cellar”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} probably from canto “corner”,^[3][4][5][6] perhaps in the sense of a corner for storage.^[3][4] A Gaulish origin has also been proposed.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A case with compartments for carrying bottles (1737),^[7][3][5] and a sutler's shop in a military camp (1744).^[7][4]

Semantic evolution

The shop selling provisions and liquor to soldiers became a refreshment room at a military base (1803),^[4] and by 1870 a refreshment room at a school, factory and the like.^[4][7] The sense of a soldier's water flask (1744) also came from French.^[4][7] A chest of cutlery is a later British sense (1895).^[7][5]

Timeline

• 1737 – a case for carrying bottles.^[7][3][5]
• 1744 – a sutler's shop in a camp; a soldier's water flask.^[7][4]
• 1803 – a refreshment room at a military base.^[4]
• 1817 – a chest of cooking and table utensils.^[7]
• 1870 – a refreshment room at a school or workplace.^[4][7]
• 1895 – a case of table cutlery.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A small cafeteria or snack bar, as at a military base, school or workplace.
2. A flask for carrying water or other drinks, as by soldiers or hikers.
3. A general store at a military post.
4. A social club or recreation hall where refreshments are served.
5. (British) A box for storing cutlery.

Related words

• cantina

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press