delicatessen
noun
- shop selling cured meats and sausages, expensive cheeses, caviar, or luxury confectionery
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˌdɛlɪkəˈtɛsən/
noun
Etymology: First attested 1864. From German Delikatessen, plural of Delikatesse (“delicacy, fine food”), at the time also spelt Delicatesse(n), from French délicatesse, from délicat (“fine”), from Latin delicatus (“alluring”). The sense of store is much more recent, originating in ellipsis from the common attributive use, as in delicatessen shop, delicatessen store, etc.
- Delicacies; exotic or expensive foods.
“I shall have Royal Climax sausages every Tuesday and Saturday. Leave your orders early as there is a demand for these delicious delicatessen. J. W. Galloway.”
“A taxi, after mounting the sidewalk, had finished up with its radiator buried in a pile of delicatessen.”