deli en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈdɛli/
- (US) audio
Etymology
Attested since 1954. Clipping of delicatessen, from German Delikatessen, plural of Delikatesse (“delicacy, fine food”), from French délicatesse, derived from the adjective délicat, from Latin delicatus.
Meanings
-
(informal) A shop that sells cooked or prepared food ready for serving.
Delis usually offer a broader, fresher menu than fast food chains.
Where rectangular storage containers make a mess of mismatched lids and sometimes unstackable shapes, the ordinary cylindrical deli cups used for food delivery are far superior.
2019 April 3, Janelle Zara, “How to Organize Your Kitchen Like a Professional Chef”, in The New York Times Magazine, archived from the original on 17 Jul 2020:Part of the 'western arcade' (as it's known) is lined with delis, cafes and other shops, giving it the feeling of a bazaar.
2022 January 12, Paul Bigland, “Fab Four: the nation's finest stations: London Bridge”, in RAIL, number 948, page 31:The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile.
2013 July 26, Nick Miroff, “Mexico gets a taste for eating insects …”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, archived from the original on 24 Jun 2021, page 32:
- (informal) Food sold at a delicatessen.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| delis | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (11)
sv delikatessaffär (shop that sells cooked or prepared food ready for serving) · nb delikatessebutikk (shop that sells cooked or prepared food ready for serving) · nn delikatessebutikk (shop that sells cooked or prepared food ready for serving) · da delikatessebutik (shop that sells cooked or prepared food ready for serving) · fi deli-ruoka (food sold at a delicatessen) · ru деликате́сы (shop that sells cooked or prepared food ready for serving) · cmn 熟食店 (shop that sells cooked or prepared food ready for serving) · ru гастроно́м (shop that sells cooked or prepared food ready for serving) · cy danteithfa (shop that sells cooked or prepared food ready for serving) · fi deli (shop that sells cooked or prepared food ready for serving) · da delikatesseforretning (shop that sells cooked or prepared food ready for serving)