A variety store that sells general merchandise at low prices; named after F.W. Woolworth who pioneered the five-and-ten-cent store concept in late 19th-century America.
A proper noun from the surname of merchant Frank Winfield Woolworth, whose 1879 store revolutionized retail. The name became so iconic it was used generically for discount variety stores, a pattern called eponym.
Woolworth's five-and-ten-cent stores were revolutionary—they displayed items openly so customers could browse freely rather than asking clerks, and they focused on high volume and low margins, literally inventing the modern discount retail model that Walmart and Target still follow today.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.