Etymologically
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canteen

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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.
  • 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