noun

cafeteria

cafeteria, canteen

Students eat lunch in the cafeteria.

Students eat lunch in the cafeteria.

The office cafeteria serves good food.

The office cafeteria serves good food.

((a/the)) cafeteria refers to a place. The school has a new cafeteria.

in ((a/the)) cafeteria indicates location. We ate in the cafeteria.

Synonyms: canteen, lunchroom, dining hall

From American Spanish 'cafetería', from 'café' (coffee) + '-tería' (a suffix indicating a place where something is sold).

Think of a 'cafe' but with a large 'area' for self-service. Cafeteria = Cafe + Area.

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