Boutique
/buːˈtiːk/noun
A small shop selling fashionable clothes or specialised goods, or by extension a small firm serving a narrow market.
The Greek roots
Literally: “place where things are put away”
The story of the word
Behind the French shopfront sits ἀποθήκη, a warehouse, from ἀπό plus τίθημι, to put away. Latin took it as apotheca, and the word then split across Europe: Spanish bodega, Italian bottega, German Apotheke for a pharmacy, English apothecary, and through Provençal botica the French boutique. English borrowed it in the 1700s for any small shop; the couture sense arrived with 1950s Paris, and 'boutique hotel' and 'boutique law firm' followed the fashion.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → Provençal → French → English
- First recorded
- 18th century
Same family
In a sentence
She left the bank for a two-partner boutique that only handles shipping disputes.
The boutique on the corner sells four dresses and a great deal of atmosphere.