What does delicatessen mean?
A delicatessen is a shop specialising in prepared foods — cooked and cured meats, cheeses, salads, breads, and other ready-to-eat items — often with a counter where customers can have items sliced or made into sandwiches. In American usage the word also denotes the foods themselves: a platter of delicatessen might mean an arrangement of cold cuts and cheeses rather than the store. The word entered English from German, which took it from French délicatesse, ultimately rooted in Latin delicatus, meaning giving pleasure or dainty. In everyday speech it is usually shortened to deli, a form so common that it now stands as a word of its own. Delicatessens carry strong cultural associations, particularly the Jewish delis of New York City, famous for pastrami, corned beef, and bagels, and the Italian delicatessens of many cities known for cured meats and antipasti. The word connotes quality, freshness, and a certain old-world craftsmanship, distinguishing these shops from ordinary grocery stores.
nounA shop selling prepared foods such as cooked meats, cheeses, salads, and sandwiches; also (especially in the US) the prepared foods sold in such a shop.
- A shop that sells prepared foods such as cooked meats, cheeses, salads, and sandwiches.
- (US) The prepared foods themselves — sliced meats, cheeses, salads — especially those sold at such a counter.
"She stopped at the delicatessen on the corner to pick up some pastrami and rye bread."
"The neighbourhood delicatessen has been run by the same family for three generations."
"He put together a platter of olives, salami, and cheese from the delicatessen counter."
Regular plural; used when referring to more than one such shop.
"The city once boasted dozens of family-run delicatessens."
New York's Jewish delis turned a borrowed German word into an American institution — pastrami on rye is arguably its most famous export.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of delicatessen
Delicatessen was borrowed into English from German in the 19th century, when German immigrants brought their food shops to America. German had adopted it from French délicatesse, meaning delicacy or fine food, which traces back through Italian delicatezza to the Latin adjective delicatus, meaning dainty, luxurious, or giving pleasure. English words sharing this Latin root include delicate, delicacy, and delectable. The common abbreviation deli arose naturally in American English.
Related word forms
How delicatessen is actually used
In everyday speech, the clipped form "deli" is far more common than the full word. In British English, delicatessen almost always means the shop itself, while American English also uses it for the food sold there.
Easily confused with delicatessen
Delicatesse is a rare, now largely archaic word meaning a delicacy or fine food, whereas delicatessen refers to a shop selling such foods or to the foods themselves.