The Etymology of Bodega
Bodega, boutique, and apothecary are three faces of one Greek word. 'Apothēkē' (ἀποθήκη) meant a storehouse — a place where things were put away — formed from 'apo-' (away) and 'tithēnai' (to put). Latin took it as 'apotheca' (a storeroom or cellar), and from Latin three routes diverged: a learned medical sense gave English 'apothecary' (pharmacist), a Provençal route gave French 'boutique' (small shop), and a Spanish route gave 'bodega.' Spanish 'bodega' meant a wine cellar, then a small storeroom, then a small grocery shop. English borrowed 'bodega' in the late 19th century for the Spanish wine cellars. The now-dominant US meaning — the corner grocery store of a New York or Miami neighbourhood — developed mid-20th century with Puerto Rican and other Hispanic shopkeepers, and is now the word's most familiar sense in American English.