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cafeteria

noun

  1. food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service
L296489 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˌkafəˈtɪə̯.ɹi.ə/ / /ˌkæfəˈtɪ(ə)ɹi.ə/

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from Mexican Spanish cafetería (“coffeehouse”), from cafetera (“coffee maker”), from French cafetière, from café, from Ottoman Turkish قهوه (kahve) (Turkish kahve), from Arabic قَهْوَة (qahwa, “coffee”). Doublet of cafetière.

  1. A restaurant in which customers select their food at a counter then carry it on a tray to a table to eat.
  2. A dining area in an institution where meals may be purchased (as above), provided, or brought in from elsewhere.