A shop or store that sells ready-to-eat foods like meats, cheeses, and prepared dishes.
From German 'Delikatessen,' borrowed from French 'délicatesse' (delicacy); came to English through German immigrants in the 1800s and their specialty food shops.
The word traveled from French to German to English—when German immigrants opened specialty food shops in America, they called them 'Delikatessen' and Americans just kept that German name.
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