Meaning & use
gelateria
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A shop that sells Italian-style ice cream, usually made fresh on the premises.
Grammar: Countable: one gelateria, two gelaterias.
Patterns
- go to a gelateria
- a gelateria in Rome
- the best gelateria in town
We stopped at a small gelateria near the station for pistachio ice cream.
This gelateria makes its own flavors every morning.
There are three gelaterias on the same street, so it is hard to choose.
noununcountableinformal
The ice cream itself, especially the dense Italian kind with less air and fat.
Grammar: Uncountable when it means the product: some gelateria, not a gelateria.
Patterns
- a scoop of gelateria
- serve gelateria
The menu lists gelateria alongside cakes and coffee.
He brought back a tub of gelateria from his trip to Florence.
Word forms
| plural | gelaterias |
|---|
Common combinations
- a gelateria chain
- A gelateria chain from Milan opened its first shop here.
- artisanal gelateria
- She only buys from an artisanal gelateria that uses seasonal fruit.
- stop by a gelateria
- On hot evenings we stop by a gelateria on the way home.
- a gelateria owner
- The gelateria owner learned the trade from his grandfather.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ice-cream parlor
- The general American term for any shop selling ice cream; gelateria specifically suggests Italian-style ice cream.
- creamery
- Often means a place that makes dairy products or ice cream, and can sound more old-fashioned than gelateria.
- gelato shop
- A plain English way to say the same thing; gelateria sounds more Italian and slightly more upmarket.
Word family
- gelato noun
- Italian-style ice cream, the product sold in a gelateria.
Commonly confused: gelateria or cafeteria? gelateria or galleria?
gelateria vs cafeteria
A cafeteria is a self-service restaurant, often in a school or office; a gelateria only sells ice cream and similar treats.
gelateria vs galleria
A galleria is a covered shopping arcade or a gallery; it sounds similar but has nothing to do with ice cream.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'gelateria' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A gelateria is a shop selling Italian-style ice cream, so walking there for scoops fits. Option 1 describes a staff canteen, which is a cafeteria; the other options use the word for unrelated objects or services.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gelateria”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.