bodega

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noun bo·de·ga \bō-ˈdā-gə\

Definition of bodega

1 : a storehouse for maturing wine
2a : wineshopb (1) : ¹bar 5a (2) : barroom
3 : a usually small grocery store in an urban area; specifically : one specializing in Hispanic groceries

Recent Examples of bodega from the Web

Mr. Hernandez worked in a bodega near the bus stop.

— james c. mckinley jr., New York Times, "Second Etan Patz Jury Provides Closure to the First", 14 Feb. 2017
Sometimes, a bodega can act as a mini United Nations, bringing people together who bond over the same pastime.

— ronnie koenig, New York Times, "Loving the Bodega Downstairs", 10 Feb. 2017
Pikachu and the gang have shown up everywhere from our neighborhood bodegas to the stage at a Beyoncé concert.

— avery matera, Teen Vogue, "Pokémon Goes High Fashion in Viral Photo Series by Francis Phommisai", 8 Jan. 2017
His place of residence was a stone’s throw from a bodega and a subway entrance, the New York Times reported.

— karin brulliard, Washington Post, "The saga of a single-antlered deer in Harlem just ended tragically", 16 Dec. 2016
Mr. Hernandez, 55, confessed in 2012 to strangling Etan and disposing of the first-grader’s body after luring him into the basement of a SoHo bodega.

— thomas macmillan, WSJ, "Daughter of Etan Patz Murder Suspect Describes His Odd Behavior", 13 Dec. 2016
That idea has brought the centuries-old drink roaring into upper-middle class consciousness at $5 per bottle in New York bodegas.

— james hamblin, The Atlantic, "Is Fermented Tea Making People Feel Enlightened Because of ... Alcohol?", 8 Dec. 2016
The bodega in East Harlem looks like many others, its awning advertising coffee, candy, and hot and cold sandwiches.

— eli rosenberg, New York Times, "The Chopped Cheese’s Sharp Rise to Fame", 7 Nov. 2016
This bodega, Hajji’s, is in the midst of a name change to Harlem Taste, an effort, perhaps, to harness its reputation as the birthplace of the sandwich.

— eli rosenberg, New York Times, "The Chopped Cheese’s Sharp Rise to Fame", 7 Nov. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bodega'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.