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Apothecaries, Bodegas, and Boutiques
Apothecary, bodega, and boutique may not look very similar, but they are all related both in meaning and in origin. Each of these words can be traced back to a Latin word for “storehouse” (apotheca), and each one refers in English to a retail establishment of some sort. Although bodega initially meant “a storehouse for wine,” it now most commonly refers to a grocery store in an urban area, especially one that specializes in Hispanic groceries. Boutique has also taken on new meanings: its first sense in English (“a small retail store”) is still current, but it now may also denote “a small company that offers highly specialized products or services.” Of the three words, apothecary has changed the least; it has gone from referring solely to the person who sells drugs or medicines to also naming the store where such goods are sold.
Examples of bodega in a Sentence
Victoria Edel, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The average corner store or bodega can no longer rely on the same business model of years past but must turn to new technology to remain competitive.
—Matt Emma, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025
Millise lives with his mother in an apartment building around the corner from the bodega where Sandoval Nava was killed.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2025
Café Buena Vida, inspired by Spanish bodegas, hosts progressive, inclusive radio shows from the bay window out front (order the olives and the vermouth).
—Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bodega
Cite this Entry
“Bodega.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bodega. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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