Acates

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Archaic term for food and provisions purchased to feed a household or a group of people
2. Old word for victuals, the supplies of food that someone buys or gathers for daily meals
3. Dated noun meaning the stores of provisions acquired for eating, especially in past centuries

Etymology: "Acates" is the plural of "acate," an archaic noun for food or provisions, especially the delicacies a household bought in. Its shorter form, "cates," is still found in older writing. The surprising part is that the word once meant the act of buying, not the goods. It comes from Old French "acat," a purchase, from "acater," to buy. That descends from Late Latin "accaptare," to acquire, built from "ad" and "captare," to try to seize, the same root that gives English "catch" and "capture." The sense then shifted from the purchase to what was purchased. Its doublet "caterer" kept the older sense: a caterer was originally someone who bought provisions for a household or institution.

Synonyms: provisions, victuals, food