Dictionary

bodega en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /boˈde.ɡɐ/ (Philippines)
• /boʊˈdeɪɡə/ (General-American)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Hellenic *apó Ancient Greek ᾰ̓πό (ăpó) Ancient Greek ᾰ̓πο- (ăpo-) Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *dʰédʰeh₁ti Ancient Greek τίθημι (títhēmi) Ancient Greek ἀποτίθημι (apotíthēmi)der. Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (apothḗkē)bor. Latin apothēca Old Spanish bodega Spanish bodegabor. English bodega Borrowed from Spanish bodega, from Latin apothēca (“storehouse”), from Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (apothḗkē, “storehouse”). Doublet of apotheke and boutique. In New York popularized by the Puerto Rican community.

Meanings

1. A storehouse for maturing wine, a winery.
2. (US) A store specializing in Hispanic groceries.
3. (New-York, especially, informal) Any convenience store.
   • The ensemble of (often shirtless) young people spend most of the film drinking malt liquor, taking drugs, robbing bodegas, assaulting skateboarders, and (especially) having and discussing sex. 2022, Chuck Klosterman, The Nineties, New York: Penguin Press, →ISBN:
   • The familiar yellow awning of your favorite bodega beckons. You step under it, then into the glare of fluorescent lights. All you have to do is nod at the man behind the counter: He knows you want to order a chopped cheese. […] Bodegas, those small corner stores dotting blocks throughout the five boroughs, have been an essential part of city life for decades. The term, popularized by Puerto Ricans, loosely translates from Spanish to “warehouse.” […] In an age of increasingly high rents, growing chain stores, endless food delivery apps and a health-obsessed population, it’s somewhat of an urban miracle that bodegas are still around. 2025 November 17, Anna Kodé, “New York’s Bodegas Are Here to Stay”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 Nov 2025:
   • He […] finds himself looking across the street, at a little bodega on the corner. 2020, N. K. Jemisin, The City We Became, Orbit, page 83:
4. (Southwestern, US, informal) Any small or medium-sized shop with a unique facade in a shopping center plaza, usually located in the center or the sides of the plaza. (Does not include the anchor tenant of the shopping center, as they are usually referred to as the anchor.)
5. (Philippines) A warehouse; a storeroom.
   • Copra as brought into town from the plantations in bull carts is hauled to the door of his bodega, and the sale is negotiated. 1925, Everett D. Gothwaite, Trade in Philippine Copra and Coconut Oil, page 51:
   • Under the law, that is sufficient, and they make it clear that the value or the purchase prices is ₱100,000, and the bank is compelled under this proviso to accept the ricemill or bodega as sufficient collateral. 1960, Philippines. Congress (1940-1973). Senate, Republic of the Philippines Congressional Record:
   • They allowed Filipinos to go inside the bodega of the Central and get all the sugar they needed. 1958, Reports of Cases Determined in the Supreme Court of the Philippines, page 413:

Forms

Deriveds

bodega cat

Relateds

boutique · apothecary