Where does “cafeteria” come from?
cafeteria (American English) comes from Spanish cafetería, from Spanish cafetero, from Spanish café, from French café, from Italian caffè, from Turkish kahve, from Ottoman Turkish قهوه, from Persian قهوه — wine; coffee; coffee shop, café.
Ancestry of “cafeteria”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | cafetería | cafeteria; diner |
| 2 | Spanish | cafetero | coffee |
| 3 | Spanish | café | brown; coffee; cafe, coffee shop |
| 4 | French | café | coffee; coffee colour; public house |
| 5 | Italian | caffè | coffee; a café |
| 6 | Turkish | kahve | coffee |
| 7 | Ottoman Turkish | قهوه | coffee |
| 8 | Persian | قهوه | coffee |
| 9 | Arabic | قهوة | wine; coffee; coffee shop, café |