discotheque
UK[ˈdɪskəʊˌtek]US[ˈdɪskəˌtɛk]
n
A club or party where people dance to recorded pop music.
n
(Dated) A nightclub with a dance floor and recorded music.
Morpheme Breakdown
disco
theque
disco
disc
theque
repository
Etymology
The word 'discotheque' is a mid-20th century French borrowing, literally meaning "a library or repository of records." It was formed by combining 'disque' (disc/record) with the suffix '-thèque', derived from Greek 'thēkē' (a case or chest for storing things). Originally, the term described an establishment where a curated collection of phonograph records was played for dancing, as opposed to one featuring live musicians. This literal sense of a "record library" evolved by metonymy to denote the nightclub itself, and was later shortened in English to the ubiquitous 'disco', which came to define both the venue and the associated music and culture of the 1970s.
Analysis
Structure: disco (disc) + theque (repository)
'disco' is from French 'disque', ultimately from Latin 'discus' (a disc, quoit, plate), functioning here as a shortened form meaning 'phonograph record'. 'theque' is from French '-thèque', a borrowing from Greek '-thēkē' (a case, receptacle, repository), functioning as a suffix meaning 'a collection or storehouse for'.
Examples
The old discotheque downtown was famous for its light-up dance floor and classic vinyl collection.
Before the era of digital DJs, a discotheque relied on a skilled selector playing physical records.
The term "discotheque" fell out of common use as "disco" and then "nightclub" became preferred.