cantine

canteen, school cafeteria

noun kahn-TEEN Rare

Origin: Italian 'cantina' (cellar, wine shop)

Usage Note

Cantine in France refers almost exclusively to the school or workplace lunch canteen — manger à la cantine means to eat in the school cafeteria. The word can also denote the large metal trunk soldiers or travellers use, but this sense is now rare. The related verb cantiner is prison slang for buying goods from the prison store.

Examples

"Les élèves mangent à la cantine le midi."

Natural Translation

The pupils eat in the canteen at lunchtime.

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