Skip to main content
food elevator

food elevator

4.9
A small lift that carries food between floors in a building
  • noun
  • /fuːd ˈɛlɪˌveɪtər/
  • US
translation icon : montacargas de comida
  • The old mansion still has a working food elevator between the basement and the main floor.

Examples

  • Please send the desserts up using the food elevator instead of carrying them by hand.

  • The restaurant has a food elevator for easy service.

  • The restaurant installed a food elevator to quickly transport meals from the kitchen to the dining area.

  • Can we use the food elevator to send drinks upstairs?

  • The restaurant used a food elevator to deliver meals quickly from the kitchen to the dining area on the upper floor.

  • In the hotel, the food elevator transported fresh produce from the basement pantry to the chef on the first floor.

  • To avoid clutter in the dining area, the staff relied on a food elevator to send dirty dishes back to the kitchen.

Synonyms

service elevator
vsfood elevator
  • Specialized
11 3.4

An elevator that staff use to move things like large boxes between floors

is smaller and intended for food service and hospitality use
dumbwaiter
vsfood elevator
7 7.7

A small lift that carries food or goods between floors

is used especially in restaurants and hotels for moving food

How Large

freight elevator
  • US
8 3.4
service elevator
  • Specialized
11 3.4
food elevator
  • US
4.9
dumbwaiter
7 7.7

Surface Forms

food elevator singular

Morphology

food + elevator

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'food' (substance consumed) with 'elevator' (a device for lifting between floors) — i.e. an elevator for carrying food or goods. This noun–noun compositional pattern is common and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The noun food elevator comes from a simple image: a small lift used to carry plates and dishes from the kitchen to other floors. Because a little box actually moves food up and down like an elevator, the name means 'a small lift for food'.