Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

deli

/ˈdɛli/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.35 in modern English

Syllables: deli
IPA: /ˈdɛli/

5

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A shop that sells cooked or prepared food ready for serving.

Informal

noun

Food sold at a delicatessen.

Informal

name

Example Sentences

"Delis usually offer a broader, fresher menu than fast food chains."
"The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile."
"Where rectangular storage containers make a mess of mismatched lids and sometimes unstackable shapes, the ordinary cylindrical deli cups used for food delivery are far superior."
"Part of the 'western arcade' (as it's known) is lined with delis, cafes and other shops, giving it the feeling of a bazaar."

Etymology

Attested since 1954. Clipping of delicatessen, from German Delikatessen, plural of Delikatesse (“delicacy, fine food”), from French délicatesse, derived from the adjective délicat, from Latin delicatus.

Origin

Source language: German

Word Breakdown

Root: Delikatessen, délicatesse, delicatus

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

delis (plural)

Phrases

deli meat Mount Deli

Frequently Paired Words

Mount Deli

Synonyms

delicatessen food shop

Homonyms

Delhi

Rhymes With

kelly delhi belly jelly ellie shelley kelley shelly smelly telly nelly tele

Questions

How do you pronounce deli?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdɛli/.
What does deli mean?: A shop that sells cooked or prepared food ready for serving.
Where does deli come from?: It is traced to German.

How to pronounce deli

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “deli”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈdɛli/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “deli”.
Repeat and practice — Say “deli” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.