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canteen

 - 3 dictionary results

can⋅teen

[kan-teen]
–noun
1. a small container used esp. by soldiers and hikers for carrying water or other liquids.
2. a general store and cafeteria at a military base.
3. a place where free entertainment is provided for military personnel.
4. a place, as in a factory, school, or summer camp, where refreshments and sometimes personal supplies are sold.
5. a recreation center or social club, esp. for teenagers.
6. a place set up to dispense food during an emergency.
7. a snack bar.
8. British. a box or chest for cutlery and other table utensils.

Origin:
1730–40; < F cantine < It cantina cellar, perh. deriv. of canto corner (see cant 2 ) with -ina -ine 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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can·teen   (kān-tēn')   
n.  
    1. A snack bar or small cafeteria, as on a military installation.

    2. A recreational facility, bar, or small general store formerly established for the patronage of soldiers.

    3. A box with compartments for carrying cooking gear and eating utensils.

    4. A soldier's mess kit.

  1. A recreation hall or social club where refreshments are available.

  2. A temporary or mobile eating place, especially one set up in an emergency.

  3. A flask for carrying drinking water, as on a hike.

    1. A box with compartments for carrying cooking gear and eating utensils.

    2. A soldier's mess kit.

  4. Chiefly British A box used to store silverware.


[French cantine, from Italian cantina, wine cellar.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

canteen 
c.1710, from Fr. cantine "sutler's shop," from It. cantina "wine cellar, vault." Perhaps another of the many meanings, now obsolete, that were applied to L. canto "corner;" in this case, perhaps "corner for storage." Extended to "refreshment room at a factory, school, etc." from 1870. Meaning "small tin for water or liquor, carried by solders on the march, campers, etc." is from 1744.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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