supermarket English · revision 39600

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1931, Los Angeles Times}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * UK: /ˌsuːpəˈmɑːkɪt/^(Wiktionary)

+ * US: /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed [[af|en|super-|market]] in American English,^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) and the OED compares [[superstore]].^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A large self-service store, usually one of a chain, selling food, groceries and household goods: 1931, in the ''Los Angeles Times''.^(OED 2026) Etymonline, Barnhart and Merriam-Webster date the word to 1933, and Etymonline notes that its 1933 source says such stores had begun to open around 1931.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) Dictionary.com gives 1920–25.^(Dictionary.com 2016)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A figurative use, for something that offers a large choice like a supermarket, is recorded from 1953.^(OED 2026) The still larger ''hypermarket'' followed in 1967.^(Etymonline)^(OED 2026) British English calls the wheeled basket a ''supermarket trolley'', American English a ''supermarket cart''.^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1931 – a large self-service food store.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1933 – first date in Etymonline, Barnhart and Merriam-Webster.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1953 – figurative, a place with a wide choice.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A large [[self-service]] shop selling food and household goods, often one of a [[chain]].^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # Something likened to such a shop, especially in offering a wide range of choices: ''a supermarket of investment funds''.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[superette]]

+ * [[supermarketer]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[market]]

+ * [[hypermarket]]

+ * [[superstore]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}