Cafeterias

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of self-service dining establishment where patrons select food items and pay at the end of the meal
2. A casual eating venue typically featuring a variety of food options arranged for easy access and quick service
3. An informal restaurant arrangement where guests choose their meals from an array of dishes displayed in a buffet style

Etymology: "Cafeterias" is the plural of "cafeteria," and the story of the base word runs from Arabic through Turkey, France and Mexico before it reached the United States. The Arabic "qahwa" meant "coffee," and it passed into Ottoman Turkish as "kahve." That form then reached French as "café," which gave rise to "cafetière," meaning a coffee maker. Mexican Spanish built "cafetera," a coffee maker, and from it "cafetería," a coffeehouse. The English word took on its modern sense in the United States, where it came to name a self-service restaurant in which customers carry trays along a line of food and pay at the end. The original idea was therefore a place for coffee, and the self-service line is a later development of the same word.

Synonyms: dining halls, eateries, food courts, canteens, restaurants