bodega

noun

bo·​de·​ga bō-ˈdā-gə 

1

: a storehouse for maturing wine

2

a

: wineshop

b(1)

: bar entry 1 sense 5a

(2)

: barroom

3

: a usually small grocery store in an urban area

specifically : one specializing in Hispanic groceries

Did you know?

Apothecaries, Bodegas, and Boutiques

Apothecary, bodega, and boutique may not look very similar, but they are all related both in meaning and in origin. Each of these words can be traced back to a Latin word for “storehouse” (apotheca), and each one refers in English to a retail establishment of some sort. Although bodega initially meant “a storehouse for wine,” it now most commonly refers to a grocery store in an urban area, especially one that specializes in Hispanic groceries. Boutique has also taken on new meanings: its first sense in English (“a small retail store”) is still current, but it now may also denote “a small company that offers highly specialized products or services.” Of the three words, apothecary has changed the least; it has gone from referring solely to the person who sells drugs or medicines to also naming the store where such goods are sold.

Examples of bodega in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Once taking effect – likely in mid to late 2025 - local businesses including bodegas, grocery stores and restaurants could request to have battery cabinets installed outside of their doors. —Jennifer Jacobs Dungs, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024

Mateo said Gomez opened his bodega at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. —Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 4 Dec. 2024

The killer wanted for stabbing a father of three to death at a Brooklyn bodega bought a cup of coffee inside before throwing it in the victim’s face in the fight leading up to the slay, shocking video shows. —Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 22 Dec. 2024

This means that your local restaurants and bodegas could immediately experience anywhere from a 20 to a 100 percent increase in their supply costs. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Latin apotheca storehouse — more at apothecary

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1