The canteen went from Italian wine cellar to French army shop to water flask and cafeteria — while its cousin cantina stayed behind to star in Westerns.
A container for carrying drinking water, especially by soldiers or hikers. Also a cafeteria or dining facility, particularly in a military base, school, or workplace.
From French cantine (bottle case, sutler's shop), from Italian cantina (wine cellar, vault), possibly from canto (corner, angle), from Latin canthus (iron tire of a wheel, corner), from Greek kanthos (corner of the eye) Key roots: cantina (Italian: "wine cellar, vault"), canto (Italian: "corner, angle").
Canteen traveled from an Italian wine cellar to a French army provision shop to an English water bottle and cafeteria — each step narrowing the focus from storage to sustenance. The Spanish cantina (familiar from Western movies as a rough border-town bar) is a direct cousin. In British English, 'canteen' primarily means a cafeteria; in American English, it primarily means a water