delicatessen

Meaning

Noun

• A shop that sells cooked or prepared foods ready for serving.
• Delicacies; exotic or expensive foods.

Origin

• First attested 1864. From German Delikatessen, plural of Delikatesse, at the time also spelt Delicatesse, from French délicatesse, from délicat, 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.