Crama

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to a wine cellar or storage place for wine ; in certain regional or dialectal uses, it can also denote a tavern or establishment where wine is sold
2. Used to describe either an underground chamber or building for storing wine ; sometimes, specifically a place where wine is served or consumed
3. Signifies a wine vault or repository for aging and keeping wine ; may also mean a locale where patrons gather to drink wine

Etymology: Romanian "cramă" once meant a tavern or inn, not a cellar. It descends from a Slavic word that also gave Polish "karczma," Russian "korchma," and Hungarian "kocsma," all meaning a pub or drinking house. The Slavic term is generally thought to have been borrowed from an early Germanic source, though the exact route is uncertain. Over time, the Romanian word narrowed. Taverns were often where wine was sold and stored, so the sense shifted toward the place where the wine itself was kept, the cellar. The later sense of a place where people gather to taste and drink wine grew from that cellar and tasting-room setting. English uses the word mainly in wine writing about Romanian producers, so it remains a borrowing from Romanian rather than a term with a long history in English.

Synonyms: wine cellar, wine storehouse