Cafeteria Definition

kăfĭ-tîrē-ə
noun
A self-service restaurant in which food is displayed on counters.
Webster's New World
A dining area, as at a school or office building, where meals may be purchased or brought from home and eaten.
American Heritage
A restaurant in which the customers are served at a counter and carry their meals on trays to tables.
American Heritage
A dining area, as at a school or office building, where meals may be purchased or brought from home and eaten.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
adjective
Allowing a choice from among several options: used chiefly to designate company benefit or insurance plans that allow each employee to select benefits or coverage best suited to his or her needs.
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Cafeteria

Noun

Singular:
cafeteria
Plural:
cafeterias

Origin of Cafeteria

  • Spanish cafetería coffee shop, cafeteria from café coffee ultimately (via French café) (or Italian caffè) from Ottoman Turkish qahve coffee

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Spanish cafetería coffee shop, cafeteria from café coffee ultimately (via French café) (or Italian caffè) from Ottoman Turkish qahve coffee

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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