takeaway

Etymology

It is from English take + away, a noun and adjective use of the phrasal verb take away.^[2][3][4][5] Etymonline records the verbal phrase from the early 12th century in the sense "to seize, take by force", and about 1300 as "to remove, withdraw".^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In American school arithmetic, a subtraction exercise, or subtraction itself thought of as taking objects away from a group: 1904, in the Christian Advocate.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Among American lumberjacks it was a train that took logs to the sawmill (1931);^[2][5] in golf it is the first movement of the club at the start of the backswing (1957);^[2] and in American football and ice hockey it is the regaining of the ball or puck from the other team (1967).^[2][4][6] The food sense, a cooked meal bought to be eaten off the premises, is recorded from 1941 in the Irish Times,^[2] although Etymonline dates the word in reference to food shops only to 1964;^[3] the shop or restaurant itself has been a takeaway since 1970.^[2][3] This use is chiefly British, where Americans say takeout or carryout.^[4][6] In the late 20th century the word came to mean the main point or lesson to remember from a meeting, discussion or story, first as an adjective (1976) and then as a noun (1990).^[2][6] American labour negotiators also use it for a concession that a union gives up.^[6]

Timeline

• 1904 – in US arithmetic, a subtraction exercise.^[2]
• 1931 – among lumberjacks, a train taking logs to the sawmill.^[2][5]
• 1941 – a cooked meal bought to be eaten elsewhere; also as an adjective.^[2]
• 1957 – in golf, the start of the backswing.^[2]
• 1967 – in American football and ice hockey, regaining possession from the other side.^[2]
• 1970 – a shop or restaurant selling takeaway food.^[2][3]
• 1976 – adjective, of a key point to be remembered.^[2]
• 1990 – noun, a key point or lesson to be remembered.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (chiefly British) A cooked meal bought from a shop or restaurant to be eaten elsewhere; takeout: They ordered a curry takeaway on Friday night.^[4][2]
2. (chiefly British) A shop or restaurant that sells such food.^[6][2]
3. The main point, idea or lesson to be remembered from a discussion, meeting or event.^[6][2]
4. (sport) In American football and ice hockey, an instance of taking the ball or puck from the opposing team, as by an interception.^[4][6][2]
5. A concession given up by a labour union in contract negotiations; a giveback.^[6]
6. (golf) The first movement of the club at the start of the backswing.^[2]

Adjective

1. (chiefly British) Of food: bought to be eaten away from the premises; relating to such food: a takeaway pizza.^[6][2]

Related words

• take
• takeout

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt