canteen

English

Drinking from a canteen or water flask of late 20th century or early 21st century design. Note the attached stopper.

Etymology

Borrowed from French cantine, itself borrowed from Italian cantina. Doublet of cantina.

Pronunciation

• enPR: kăn-tēnʹ
• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /kænˈtiːn/, /kænˈtin/
• (æ-tensing) IPA^(key): [kʰɛə̯nˈtin]

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːn

Noun

canteen (plural canteens)

1. A small cafeteria or snack bar, especially one in a military establishment, school, or place of work.
   1. (Hong Kong) A cafeteria in a school or place of work.
2. A temporary or mobile café used in an emergency or on a film location etc.
3. A box with compartments for storing eating utensils, silverware etc.
4. A military mess kit.
6. A water bottle, flask, or other vessel, typically used by a soldier or camper as a bottle for carrying water or liquor for drink
   • 1862, John Williamson Palmer, Stonewall Jackson's Way :

     Come, stack arms, Men! Pile on the rails; stir up the campfire bright; no matter if the canteen fails, we'll make a roaring night. Here Shenandoah brawls along, there burly Blue Ridge echoes strong, to swell the Brigade's rousing song, of “Stonewall Jackson’s Way.”

Derived terms

• amma canteen
• canteen cowboy
• canteen culture
• canteen cup

 

Descendants

• Cantonese: can (ken⁶, ken^6-2, “canteen; cafeteria; restaurant”)

Translations

small cafeteria or snack bar

• Albanian: mensë (sq) f
• Arabic: مَقْصَف‎ (ar) m (maqṣaf), كَافِتِيرِيَا‎ f (kāfetēriyā)

  Hijazi Arabic: مقصف‎ m (magṣaf)

• Armenian: ճաշարան (hy) (čašaran)
• Azerbaijani: yeməkxana (az), bufet (az), aşxana, kafeteriya
• Bashkir: ашхана (aşxana)
• Basque: kantina (eu), jantegi (eu)
• Belarusian: стало́вая f (stalóvaja), яда́льня f (jadálʹnja), стало́ўка f (stalóŭka), стало́ўня f (stalóŭnja), стра́ўня f (stráŭnja), кафетэ́рый m (kafjetéryj), кафэтэ́рый m (kafetéryj)
• Bulgarian: столо́ва (bg) f (stolóva), ла́вка f (lávka), трапеза́рия f (trapezárija)
• Burmese: စစ်သုံးအိုးခွက် (cacsum:ui:hkwak)
• Central Dusun: kantin
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 餐廳／餐厅 (caan¹ teng¹), 飯堂／饭堂 (faan⁶ tong⁴)

  Dungan: гуанзы (guanzɨ), цантин (cantin)

  Mandarin: 食堂 (zh) (shítáng), 餐廳／餐厅 (zh) (cāntīng), 館子／馆子 (zh) (guǎnzi)

• Czech: jídelna (cs) f, kantýna (cs) f
• Danish: kantine (da) c, cafeteria (da) n
• Dutch: kantine (nl) c, cafetaria (nl) f
• Estonian: söökla (et), kafeteeria
• Faroese: kantina f, matstova f
• Finnish: ruokala (fi), kanttiini (fi), henkilöstöruokala, kafeteria (fi)
• French: cantine (fr) f, cafétéria (fr) f, cafèt’ (fr) f
• Georgian: სასადილო (sasadilo)
• German: Kantine (de) f, Mensa (de) f (for students), Cafeteria (de) f
• Greek: καντίνα (el) f (kantína), τραπεζαρία (el) f (trapezaría), καφετέρια (el) f (kafetéria)
• Hebrew: קַנטִינָה‎ (he) f (kantina), קָפִיטֶרְיָה‎ (he) f (kafitéria)
• Hindi: कैंटीन (hi) m (kaiṇṭīn), कैफ़ेटेरिया m (kaifeṭeriyā)
• Hungarian: kantin (hu), menza (hu)
• Icelandic: mötuneyti (is) n, matsalur (is) m
• Indonesian: kantin (id)
• Irish: ceaintín m, bialann f
• Italian: mensa (it) f, caffetteria (it) f
• Japanese: 食堂 (ja) (しょくどう, shokudō), カフェテリア (kafeteria), 学食 (ja) (がくしょく, gakushoku) (school cafeteria)
• Kazakh: асхана (asxana), дәмхана (dämxana)
• Khmer: អាហារដ្ឋាន (ʼaahaaratthaan)
• Korean: 식당(食堂) (ko) (sikdang), 구내식당(構內食堂) (gunaesikdang), 카페테리아 (kapeteria)
• Kyrgyz: ашкана (ky) (aşkana), столовая (ky) (stolovaya), кафетерий (ky) (kafeteriy)
• Lao: ຮ້ານອາຫານ (lo) (hān ʼā hān)
• Latin: (military) caupona castrensis f
• Latvian: ēdnīca f, kafetērija f
• Lithuanian: valgykla f
• Macedonian: кантина f (kantina), менза f (menza), кафетерија f (kafeterija)
• Malay: kantin, kafeteria
• Maori: kāmuri, kāmuri
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: гуанз (mn) (guanz)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kantine m or f, kafeteria (no) m

• Occitan: cantina f
• Ottoman Turkish: آشخانه‎ (aşhâne), مطره‎ (matra)
• Pashto: کانتين‎ (ps) m (kāntín)
• Persian: کافه‌تریا‎ (kâfe-teriyâ), آشخانه‎ (fa) (âšxâne) (dated)
• Polish: stołówka (pl) f, kafeteria (pl) f
• Portuguese: cantina (pt) f
• Romanian: cantină (ro) f, cofetărie (ro) f
• Russian: столо́вая (ru) f (stolóvaja), заку́сочная (ru) f (zakúsočnaja), буфе́т (ru) m (bufét), кафете́рий (ru) m (kafetɛ́rij), столо́вка (ru) f (stolóvka) (colloquial)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: канти́на f, ме̏нза f, кафетѐрија f

  Roman: kantína (sh) f, mȅnza (sh) f, kafetèrija (sh) f

• Slovak: kantína f, jedáleň f
• Slovene: menza (sl) f
• Spanish: cantina (es) f
• Swedish: matsal (sv) c, kantin (sv) c, cafeteria (sv) c
• Tajik: ошхона (tg) (ošxona)
• Tatar: ашханә (tt) (aşxanä)
• Thai: โรงอาหาร (roong-aa-hǎan)
• Turkish: kantin (tr), aşhane (tr), kafeterya (tr)
• Turkmen: mytara, aşhana (tk)
• Ukrainian: їда́льня (uk) f (jidálʹnja), кафете́рій m (kafetérij)
• Uyghur: ئاشخانا‎ (ashxana)
• Uzbek: oshxona (uz), ovqatxona (uz), yemakxona (uz), kafeteriy
• Vietnamese: căng tin (vi), nhà ăn (vi)
• Welsh: caban bwyd m
• Yiddish: קאַנטינע‎ (kantine), קאַפֿעטעריע‎‎‎ (kafeterye‎‎), מאָלאָטשנע‎ (molotshne), סטאָלאָווע‎ (stolove), סטאָלאָווקע‎ (stolovke)

temporary or mobile cafe

• Greek: καντίνα (el) f (kantína)
• Swedish: kantin (sv) c, markententeri n

box with compartments

• Finnish: ruokailuvälinelaatikko, aterinlaatikko
• German: Besteckkasten m
• Greek: κασετίνα (el) f (kasetína)
• Icelandic: hnífaparakassi m
• Portuguese: faqueiro m

military mess kit

• Basque: mahai-tresnak
• Finnish: ruokailuvälinesarja, pakki (fi)
• Icelandic: mataráhöld hermanna n pl
• Welsh: blwch (cy) m

water bottle

• Arabic: زَمْزَمِيَّة‎ f (zamzamiyya)
• Belarusian: пля́ха f (pljáxa), пля́шка f (pljáška), бідо́н m (bidón)
• Bulgarian: мане́рка f (manérka)
• Catalan: cantimplora (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 水壺／水壶 (zh) (shuǐhú)

• Czech: polní láhev f (military)
• Dutch: veldfles (nl)
• Estonian: pläsku, lähker (historical)
• Faroese: lummafløska f
• Finnish: kenttäpullo (fi)
• French: gourde (fr) f, bidon (fr) m
• German: Feldflasche (de) f
• Greek: παγούρι (el) n (pagoúri)
• Hebrew: מֵימִיָּה / מימייה‎ f
• Hungarian: kulacs (hu)
• Icelandic: vatnsbrúsi m
• Italian: borraccia (it) f
• Japanese: 水筒 (ja) (すいとう, suitō)
• Khmer: ប៊ីដុង (km) (biidong)
• Korean: 수통(水桶) (ko) (sutong)
• Lao: ກະຕິກ (lo) (ka tik)
• Latin: laguncula f
• Macedonian: чутура f (čutura)
• Persian: قمقمه‎ (fa) (qomqome)
• Polish: manierka (pl) f
• Portuguese: cantil (pt) m
• Russian: фля́га (ru) f (fljága), фля́жка (ru) f (fljážka), бидо́н (ru) m (bidón)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: чу̀тура f

  Roman: čùtura (sh) f

• Spanish: cantimplora (es)
• Swedish: fältflaska (sv) c
• Thai: กระติก (th) (grà-dtìk)
• Turkish: matara (tr)
• Ukrainian: фля́га f (fljáha), фля́жка f (fljážka), пля́шка f (pljáška), бідо́н (uk) m (bidón)
• Volapük: (soldier's) militaflad (vo)
• Welsh: botel ddŵr f, fflasg ddŵr f
• Yiddish: קאַנטין‎ (kantin), קאַנטינע‎ (kantine)

Further reading

• “canteen”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “canteen”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “canteen”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Spanish

Verb

canteen

1. inflection of cantear:
   1. third-person plural present subjunctive
   2. third-person plural imperative