grocery

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Usage notes 1.3.2 Translations 1.3.3 Synonyms 1.3.4 Related terms 1.3.5 References

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From French grosserie, "wholesale".

[edit] Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈgɹəʊsəɹi/
• (GenAm) IPA: /ˈgɹoʊsəɹi/

[edit] Noun

grocery (plural groceries)

1. Retail foodstuffs and other household supplies.
   • 1776: Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations

     Where ten thousand pounds can be employed in the grocery trade, the wages of the grocer's labour make but a very trifling addition...

2. A shop or store that sells groceries; a grocery store.
   • 1854: Henry David Thoreau, Walden

     I observed that the vitals of the village were the grocery, the bar-room, the post-office, and the bank...

[edit] Usage notes

When referring to goods, the singular form is primarily used attributively, as in a grocery bill, a grocery list, etc. The plural form, groceries, is much more frequently used to refer to actual goods, especially in the US.

[edit] Translations

[edit] Synonyms

• (retail foodstuffs and household supplies): commodities, general goods, groceries, packaged goods
• (store that sells groceries): general store, grocery store, market, supermarket

[edit] Related terms

• greengrocer
• grocer
• groceries

[edit] References

• grocery in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913