Meanings
nouncafeteria (plural cafeterias)
plural cafeterias · alternative uncommon caféteria · alternative rare cafétéria · alternative dated cafeterie
- CanadaUSA restaurant in which customers select their food at a counter then carry it on a tray to a table to eat.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA dining area in an institution where meals may be purchased (as above), provided, or brought in from elsewhere.
Similar
Similar
Origin
- Arabicقَهْوَة“coffee”
- Ottoman Turkishقهوه
- Frenchcafetière
- Mexican Spanishcafetería“coffeehouse”
- Englishcafeteria
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.
More words from Mexican Spanish, French, Ottoman Turkish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek φιδίτιον
- φιδίτιον (phidítion)restaurant
Arabic مَقْصَف, كَافِتِيرِيَا
- مَقْصَف (maqṣaf)restaurant
- كَافِتِيرِيَا (kāfetēriyā)restaurant
Basque kantina, jantegi
- kantinarestaurant
- jantegirestaurant
Bulgarian столо́ва, столо́ва
- столо́ва (stolóva)restaurant
- столо́ва (stolóva)dining area
Catalan cafeteria
- cafeteriarestaurant
Chinese Cantonese 餐廳 /餐厅, 飯堂 /饭堂
- 餐廳 /餐厅 (caan¹ teng¹)restaurant
- 飯堂 /饭堂 (faan⁶ tong⁴)restaurant
Chinese Mandarin 食堂, 餐廳 /餐厅
- 食堂 (shítáng)restaurant
- 餐廳 /餐厅 (cāntīng)restaurant
- 食堂 (shítáng)dining area
- 餐廳 /餐厅 (cāntīng)dining area
- 館子 /馆子 (guǎnzi)dining area
Czech jídelna, bufet
- jídelnarestaurant
- bufetrestaurant
- menzarestaurant
- kantýnadining area
- jídelnadining area
Danish cafeteria, cafeteria
- cafeteriarestaurant
- cafeteriadining area
- kantinedining area
- spisesaldining area
- frokoststuedining area
Dutch kantine, cafetaria
- kantinerestaurant
- cafetariarestaurant
- cafetariadining area
Esperanto manĝejo
- manĝejodining area
Estonian söökla, kantiin
- sööklarestaurant
- kantiinrestaurant
- kafeteeriarestaurant
- kafeteeriadining area
- söökladining area
Finnish kahvio, kafeteria
- kahviorestaurant
- kafeteriarestaurant
- ruokaladining area
- kanttiinidining area
- kafeteriadining area
French cafétéria, cafèt’
- cafétériarestaurant
- cafèt’restaurant
- cantinerestaurant
- caféteriadining area
- cantinedining area
- réfectoiredining area
German Cafeteria, Kantine
- Cafeteriarestaurant
- Kantinerestaurant
- Kantinedining area
- Mensadining area
Greek καφετέρια, καντίνα
- καφετέρια (kafetéria)restaurant
- καντίνα (kantína)restaurant
- τραπεζαρία (trapezaría)restaurant
- καφετέρια (kafetéria)dining area
Hebrew מִזְנוֹן, קָפִיטֶרְיָה
- מִזְנוֹן (miznón)restaurant
- קָפִיטֶרְיָה (kafitérya)restaurant
- קַנְטִינָה (kantína)restaurant
- חדר אוכל (khéder ókhel)dining area
- קָפִיטֶרְיָה (kafitéria)dining area
Hindi कैंटीन, कैफ़ेटेरिया
- कैंटीन (kaiṇṭīn)restaurant
- कैफ़ेटेरिया (kaifeṭeriyā)restaurant
- काफ़ीघर (kāfīghar)restaurant
Hungarian kantin, menza
- kantinrestaurant
- menzarestaurant
- bisztrórestaurant
- önkiszolgáló étterem/étkezderestaurant
- étkezderestaurant
- étkeződining area
- büfédining area
Italian caffetteria, mensa
- caffetteriarestaurant
- mensarestaurant
- mensadining area
Japanese 食堂, カフェテリア
- 食堂 (shokudō)restaurant
- カフェテリア (kafeteria)restaurant
- 食堂 (shokudō)dining area
- カフェテリア (kafeteria)dining area
- 学食 (gakushoku)dining area
Korean 식당, 카페테리아
- 식당 (sikdang)restaurant
- 카페테리아 (kapeteria)restaurant
- 식당 (sikdang)dining area
- 구내식당 (gunaesikdang)dining area
- 카페테리아 (kapeteria)dining area
Latin cafeteria
- cafeteriarestaurant
Latvian ēdnīca, kafetērija
- ēdnīcarestaurant
- kafetērijarestaurant
- ēdnīcadining area
- kafetērijadining area
Lithuanian valgykla, valgykla
- valgyklarestaurant
- valgykladining area
Malay kafeteria, kafeteria
- kafeteriarestaurant
- kafeteriadining area
Māori kāmuri
- kāmurirestaurant
Norwegian Bokmål kafeteria, kafeteria
- kafeteriarestaurant
- kafeteriadining area
Polish kafeteria, stołówka
- kafeteriarestaurant
- stołówkarestaurant
- stołówkadining area
Portuguese cafeteria, cantina
- cafeteriarestaurant
- cantinarestaurant
- refeitóriodining area
- cantinadining area
Romanian cofetărie, cantină
- cofetărierestaurant
- cantinărestaurant
Russian кафете́рий, столо́вая
- кафете́рий (kafetɛ́rij)restaurant
- столо́вая (stolóvaja)restaurant
- заку́сочная (zakúsočnaja)restaurant
- буфе́т (bufét)restaurant
- столо́вая (stolóvaja)dining area
Slovak kantína, jedáleň
- kantínarestaurant
- jedáleňrestaurant
- kantínadining area
- jedáleňdining area
Spanish cafetería, cantina
- cafeteríarestaurant
- cantinarestaurant
- comedorrestaurant
- comedordining area
- cantinadining area
- casinodining area
Swahili mikahawa, mikahawa
- mikahawarestaurant
- mikahawadining area
Swedish kafeteria, fik
- kafeteriarestaurant
- fikrestaurant
- lunchrestaurangrestaurant
- kaférestaurant
- lunchserveringrestaurant
- serveringrestaurant
- matsaldining area
- lunchrumdining area
- fikdining area
- matbespisningdining area
- kantindining area
Thai โรงอาหาร, โรงอาหาร
- โรงอาหาร (roong-aa-hǎan)restaurant
- โรงอาหาร (roong-aa-hǎan)dining area
Turkish kantin, kafeterya
- kantinrestaurant
- kafeteryarestaurant
- yemekhanerestaurant
- kantindining area
- kafeteryadining area
- aşhanedining area
Ukrainian їда́льня, кафете́рій
- їда́льня (jidálʹnja)restaurant
- кафете́рій (kafetérij)restaurant
- їда́льня (jidálʹnja)dining area
- кафете́рій (kafetérij)dining area
Urdu کَیفےٹیرِیا
- کَیفےٹیرِیا (kaifeṭeriyā)restaurant
Vietnamese nhà ăn, căng tin
- nhà ăndining area
- căng tindining area
- căn tindining area
Yiddish קאַפֿעטעריע, קאַנטינע
- קאַפֿעטעריע (kafeterye)restaurant
- קאַנטינע (kantine)restaurant
- סטאָלאָווע (stolove)restaurant
- סטאָלאָווקע (stolovke)restaurant
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cafeteria
criteriaNigeriaSyriaAlgeriaLiberiaSiberiaIberiahysteriamateriadiphtherialisteriaElyriaAssyriaferiaplumeriaimperiaporphyriaCyberiaStyriaIllyriaarteriaprogeriaceriaEgeria
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
cafeteria. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cafeteria
MLA
“cafeteria.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cafeteria. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cafeteria,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cafeteria.
Source: cafeteria on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.