Beaneries

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A place where beans are served and sold
2. a casual diner or eatery, often with a simple menu
3. a term for a small, informal restaurant or establishment serving food and drinks

Etymology: "Beaneries" is the plural of "beanery," a casual restaurant where simple, inexpensive food is served. The word is built from two English parts: "bean," the familiar Old English word for the legume, and the suffix "-ery," which came into English from Old French "-erie" and gives the sense of a place where something is done or sold, as in "bakery" or "brewery." Combining the two produced a name for a small eating-house rather than a place growing or selling beans. The plainness of the formation is part of its story. "Beanery" is a straightforward compound of ordinary English material, not a classical coinage or a borrowing, so its meaning follows directly from the parts: the suffix marks the establishment and the noun names its typical fare. The plural simply adds the usual "-s" to "beanery," giving "beaneries."