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Rathskeller German Word Spelled Early Means English Hall

A 'rathskeller' is a tavern or restaurant, typically located in a basement, often in the cellars of council houses.

Un rathskeller es una taberna o restaurante, generalmente en el sótano, que a menudo se encuentra en los sótanos de las casas del consejo.

Word rathskeller
Date September 10, 2014
Type noun
Syllables RAHT-skel-er
Etymology Rathskeller is a product of Germany, deriving from two German nouns: Rat (also spelled Rath in early Modern German), which means "council," and Keller, which means "cellar." (Nouns in German are always capitalized.) The etymology reflects the fact that many early rathskellers were located in the basements of "council houses," which were equivalent to town halls. (The oldest rathskeller found in Germany today is said to date from the first half of the 13th century.) The earliest known use of rathskeller in English dates from 1766, but the word wasn't commonly used until the 1900s. Although the German word is now spelled Ratskeller, English writers have always preferred the spelling with the "h"-most likely to avoid any association with the word rat.
Examples Beneath the service club's new meeting hall is a rathskeller that is open for lunch and dinner.

"Troy's Germania Hall remains open. The club serves dinner every Friday night in its rathskeller." - Jeff Wilkin, The Gazette (Schenectady, New York), August 10, 2014
Definition : a usually basement tavern or restaurant

Tags: wordoftheday::noun

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