bodega

Where does the word "bodega" come from? It comes from Latin apotheca, passing through Spanish before entering English (1800s).

Bodega’s story begins in Latin: apotheca meant “a storehouse.” A storehouse, from Greek apotheke (a place to put things away). By medieval, the word had taken hold in Spanish as bodega. Settled in Spanish for a wine cellar or small shop. It reached English by 1800s as bodega. Puerto Rican and Dominican shopkeepers in New York gave it the corner-store sense. Today, bodega means a small neighborhood store, especially one selling groceries and sandwiches.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient apotheca "a storehouse", a storehouse, from Greek apotheke (a place to put things away).
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · medieval bodega "a wine cellar, or a small shop", settled in Spanish for a wine cellar or small shop.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s bodega "a small neighborhood grocery store", Puerto Rican and Dominican shopkeepers in New York gave it the corner-store sense.