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
Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 11 May 2025
Not just the lives of bodega owners and workers; the lives of so many that have ran into a bodega seeking safe shelter and they've been killed.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025
The only person that got big money jackpot lucky from Saturday’s Powerball, Florida Lotto, Fantasy 5 and Cash4Life drawings bought their ticket in a Broward bodega.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 4 May 2025
His group has been pushing for funding so bodega owners can install panic buttons to summon police immediately.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bodega
Cite this Entry
“Bodega.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bodega. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share