Etymograph

English

bodega

Bodega comes from Spanish bodega ‘wine cellar’, from Latin apothēca ‘storehouse’, and ultimately from Ancient Greek ἀποτίθημι ‘to put away, stow away’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀποτίθημι1apotíthēmi‘to put away, stow away’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀποθήκη1apothḗkē‘storehouse’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEapothēca1‘storehouse’
  4. Old Spanishc. 950–1500bodega1‘wine cellar’
  5. Spanishc. 1500–presentbodega1‘wine cellar’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1925bodega1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English bodega
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1925, Everett D. Gothwaite, Trade in Philippine Copra and Coconut Oil: “Copra as brought into town from the plantations in…”.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀποτίθημιWiktionary, English bodegaapotíthēmi‘to put away, stow away’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀποθήκηWiktionary, English bodegaapothḗkē‘storehouse’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEapothēcaWiktionary, English bodega‘storehouse’
  4. Old Spanishc. 950–1500bodegaWiktionary, English bodega‘wine cellar’
  5. Spanishc. 1500–presentbodegaWiktionary, English bodega‘wine cellar’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1925bodegaWiktionary, English bodega. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1925, Everett D. Gothwaite, Trade in Philippine Copra and Coconut Oil: “Copra as brought into town from the plantations in…”

A compound of ᾰ̓πό ‘from, away from’ + ᾰ̓πο- + τίθημι ‘to put, place, set’

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep

Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó ‘off, away’

Proto-Hellenic *apó ‘away’

Ancient Greek ᾰ̓πό ‘from, away from’

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’

Proto-Indo-European *dʰédʰeh₁ti ‘to be putting, placing’

Ancient Greek τίθημι ‘to put, place, set’

The story

In New York popularized by the Puerto Rican community.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Latin apothēca ‘storehouse’

boutique, apothecary, bottega, 1 more

Today it means

noun A storehouse for maturing wine, a winery.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “bodega”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek ἀποτίθημι / bodega

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