delicatessen

plural noun

del·​i·​ca·​tes·​sen ˌde-li-kə-ˈte-sᵊn How to pronounce delicatessen (audio)
1
: ready-to-eat food products (such as cooked meats and prepared salads)
2
singular, plural delicatessens [delicatessen (store)] : a store where delicatessen are sold

Examples of delicatessen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Morse’s Sauerkraut in Waldoboro is a German-style delicatessen and grocery featuring goods from across Europe. Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2024 These special warrants are held by a wide range of organizations, from tailors and hat shops to chocolatiers and delicatessens. Nicola Butler, Travel + Leisure, 3 Sep. 2024 As of July 30, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified at least 34 people in 13 different states who became ill from the listeria outbreak linked to some Boar's Head meats sliced at delicatessens. Miles Berry, Peoplemag, 31 July 2024 Liebman’s exceptionality, rather, stems from its status as the last Jewish deli in the Bronx, a dubious honor perhaps in a city that is running short on classic delicatessens. New York Times, 18 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for delicatessen 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'delicatessen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

obsolete German (now Delikatessen), plural of Delicatesse delicacy, from French délicatesse, probably from Old Italian delicatezza, from delicato delicate, from Latin delicatus

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of delicatessen was in 1885

Dictionary Entries Near delicatessen

Cite this Entry

“Delicatessen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delicatessen. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

delicatessen

plural noun
del·​i·​ca·​tes·​sen ˌdel-i-kə-ˈtes-ᵊn How to pronounce delicatessen (audio)
1
: ready-to-eat food products (as cooked meats and prepared salads)
2
singular, plural delicatessens : a store where delicatessen are sold
Etymology

from obsolete German Delicatessen (now spelled Delikatessen) "specially prepared ready-to-eat foods," plural of Delicatesse "delicacy," from French délicatesse (same meaning), derived from Latin delicatus "delicate"

Word Origin
We owe both the word delicatessen and the special food it represents to the German immigrants who came to this country toward the end of the 19th century. But although the food was originally German, the word was not. The Germans borrowed the word from the French. The obsolete German word delicatessen is a plural form of delicatesse and means "delicacies, ready-to-eat foods." This word was borrowed from the French word délicatesse, meaning "delicacy." In English, delicatessen originally meant only the specially-prepared food. In time, the delicatessen store where this food was sold came to be called a delicatessen, and a new meaning for the word was born. Now the word is often shortened to deli.

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