five-and-dime
UK[ˌfaɪv ən ˈdaɪm]US[ˌfaɪv ən ˈdaɪm]
n
A store that sells a wide variety of inexpensive goods, originally with many items priced at five or ten cents.
Morpheme Breakdown
five
and
dime
five
and
dime
Etymology
The term "five-and-dime" is a quintessentially American compound noun originating in the late 19th century. It directly references the original pricing strategy of stores like those pioneered by Frank Winfield Woolworth, where a large array of goods was sold for five or ten cents. The word "five" derives from the common Germanic numeral, while "dime" entered English via Old French from Latin decimus (tenth), referring to one-tenth of a dollar. The conjunction "and" simply links these two price points, creating a catchy, rhyming name that came to symbolize the concept of a low-cost variety store. Over time, the term evolved into a generic label for such establishments, even after inflation rendered the specific five- and ten-cent prices obsolete.
Analysis
Structure: five + and + dime
- five: From Old English fīf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vijf and German fünf, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin quinque and Greek pente. Functions as a numeral.
- and: From Old English and, ond, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch en and German und. Functions as a conjunction linking the two price points.
- dime: From Old French disme 'tenth part', from Latin decima (pars), from decimus 'tenth', from decem 'ten'. In the US monetary system, it denotes a coin worth ten cents.
Examples
She bought her sewing supplies at the old five-and-dime downtown.
The town's last traditional five-and-dime store closed its doors in the 1990s.
These plastic toys look like something you'd find in a five-and-dime.