Meanings
plural delicatessens · alternative delikatessen
- A shop that sells cooked or prepared foods ready for serving.
alternative delikatessen
- pluralplural onlyDelicacies; exotic or expensive foods.
A taxi, after mounting the sidewalk, had finished up with its radiator buried in a pile of delicatessen.
1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954, page 531 more example
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.
1902 April 30, “Local and Personal”, in The Chilliwack Progress, 12th year, number 4 (576 overall), Chilliwack, B.C., →ISSN, →OCLC, page [5], column 1
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindelicatus“alluring”
- Frenchdélicatesse
- GermanDelikatessen
- Englishdelicatessen
First attested 1864. From German Delikatessen, plural of Delikatesse (“delicacy, fine food”), at the time also spelled Delicatesse(n), from French délicatesse, from délicat (“fine”), from Latin delicatus (“alluring”). The sense of store is more recent, originating in ellipsis from the common attributive use, as in delicatessen shop, delicatessen store, etc.
More words from German, French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan delicatessen
- delicatessenshop selling prepared foods
Chinese Mandarin 熟食店
- 熟食店 (shúshídiàn)shop selling prepared foods
Danish delikatessebutik, delikatesseforretning
- delikatessebutikshop selling prepared foods
- delikatesseforretningshop selling prepared foods
Esperanto bongustaĵejo, delicaĵejo
- bongustaĵejoshop selling prepared foods
- delicaĵejoshop selling prepared foods
- delikataĵejoshop selling prepared foods
- frandaĵvendejoshop selling prepared foods
Finnish herkkukauppa, herkut
- herkkukauppashop selling prepared foods
- herkutdelicacies
French traiteur, épicerie fine
- traiteurshop selling prepared foods
- épicerie fineshop selling prepared foods
German Feinkostladen, Delikatessengeschäft
- Feinkostladenshop selling prepared foods
- Delikatessengeschäftshop selling prepared foods
- Delikatessenladenshop selling prepared foods
- Delikatessendelicacies
- Feinkostdelicacies
Greek ντελικατέσεν, ντελικατέσεν
- ντελικατέσεν (ntelikatésen)shop selling prepared foods
- ντελικατέσεν (ntelikatésen)delicacies
Hebrew מַעֲדַנִּיָּה
- מַעֲדַנִּיָּה (ma'adaniyá)shop selling prepared foods
Italian gastronomia
- gastronomiashop selling prepared foods
Japanese デリカテッセン, 総菜屋
- デリカテッセン (derikatessen)shop selling prepared foods
- 総菜屋 (sōzaiya)shop selling prepared foods
- デリカshop selling prepared foods
Māori toa kai-kīnaki
- toa kai-kīnakishop selling prepared foods
Norwegian Bokmål delikatessebutikk
- delikatessebutikkshop selling prepared foods
Polish delikatesy
- delikatesyshop selling prepared foods
Portuguese delicatessen
- delicatessenshop selling prepared foods
Russian гастроно́м, деликате́сы
- гастроно́м (gastronóm)shop selling prepared foods
- деликате́сы (delikatɛ́sy)shop selling prepared foods
Spanish delicatessen (delicatesen), fiambrería
- delicatessen (delicatesen)shop selling prepared foods
- fiambreríashop selling prepared foods
- delicatessen (delicatesen)delicacies
Swedish delikatessbutik, delikatessaffär
- delikatessbutikshop selling prepared foods
- delikatessaffärshop selling prepared foods
Welsh danteithfa
- danteithfashop selling prepared foods
Yiddish וווּרשטערײַ, דעליקאַטעסן
- וווּרשטערײַ (vurshteray)shop selling prepared foods
- דעליקאַטעסן (delikatesn)shop selling prepared foods
- דעליקאַטעסן (delikatesn)delicacies
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
delicatessen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/delicatessen
“delicatessen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/delicatessen. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “delicatessen,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/delicatessen.
Source: delicatessen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.