canteen

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English

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

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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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. Goods purchased from a prison canteen.
      • 1984 December 29, Mykki Balduff, “Prisons and Roles”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 25, page 6:
        Yeah, I worked that bitch. She was buying me all the canteen I wanted.
      • 2015 November 23, Melvin L. Boone, “Dark Corners”, in Pen America‎[1]:
        “Well, le’me give you some advice,” he continued. “If someone offers you some canteen, don’t take it.”
        I instinctively knew what he was warning me against. But I felt slightly disrespected because it wasn’t as if I were a frail young girl who might go out on a date with someone and feel obligated to have sex because the guy had bought me a Happy Meal. The way I saw it, if someone wanted to give me some canteen, I was getting something for nothing!
      • 2024 September 11, Jordangander, “More about solitary: I get conflicting results when I look up what modern solitary is like...?”, in r/Prison‎[2]:
        Administrative Confinement, sort of like a jail inside the prison, this is for those waiting on disciplinary court for a violation, or under investigation, plus other things. 2 man cells, allowed your tablets, some property, some canteen including food, reading books. 4 hours outside exercise weekly after 30 days.
  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

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Descendants

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

Translations

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Further reading

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Spanish

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Verb

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canteen

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