grocery

The word 'grocery' originates from the Anglo-French 'grosserie', which denoted the goods sold by a 'grosser' or wholesaler. This, in turn, derives from the Medieval Latin 'grossarius', meaning 'a wholesaler', based on the Late Latin 'grossus' in the sense of 'a large quantity, bulk'. The Latin 'grossus' (meaning thick, coarse) is of uncertain origin, possibly from a Germanic source. Thus, the term evolved from describing wholesale trade in bulk goods to specifically denoting a merchant selling foodstuffs (a grocer) and, by the 15th century, to the store itself and the commodities sold there.

The word 'grocery' is a simplex noun derived from the earlier occupation-based term 'grocer'. It is not productively segmented into smaller, meaningful morphemes in modern English.