Standard Lemma guide

cellar

noun · verb · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsɛlə/
  • General-American: /ˈsɛləɹ/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛlə(ɹ)
  • homophone: sellar
  • homophone: seller
  • CMU ARPABET: S EH1 L ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An enclosed underground space, often under a building, used for storage or shelter.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The farmhouse has several additions, added over many decades; it has three cellars, and one of them is older than the other two.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A wine collection, especially when stored in a cellar.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The insurance company valued his cellar at $27,000, largely on the strength of his bottles of 1972 Château Hypothetica.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Last place in a league or competition; some rank near last place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

Examples

  • The Tigers have been in the cellar all year long, and I'm tired of it.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A basement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Northeastern, UK, US

Examples

  • Most of my tools and hardware are in the garage, but I keep some tools in the cellar, too, mainly for convenience.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

salt cellar

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To store (something, especially food or wine) in a cellar.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: store, keep, save, lay by, lay in

7

noun

Meaning 7

the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: basement

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: floor, level, storey, story

Narrower terms: cellarage

8

noun

Meaning 8

storage space where wines are stored

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wine cellar

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: storage space

9

noun

Meaning 9

an excavation where root vegetables are stored

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: root cellar

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: excavation, storage space

History

Etymology

From Middle English celer, seler, from Anglo-Norman celer, Old French celier (modern cellier), from Late Latin cellārium, from Latin cella. Doublet of cellarium.

From 15th century English saler, from French salière, from Latin salarius (“relating to salt”), from Latin sal (“salt”).

Across languages

Translations

201 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: qilar — underground space
  • Albanian: qeli — underground space
  • Albanian: gërdhet — underground space
  • Albanian: bodrum — underground space
  • Arabic: قَبْو (qabw) — underground space
  • Arabic: سِرْدَاب (sirdāb) — underground space
  • Arabic: قبوة (ʔabwa) — underground space
  • Armenian: նկուղ (nkuġ) — underground space
  • Armenian: պադվալ (padval) — underground space
  • Azerbaijani: zirzəmi — underground space
  • Azerbaijani: evaltı — underground space
  • Azerbaijani: padval — underground space
  • Bashkir: баҙ (baź) — underground space
  • Belarusian: склеп (skljep) — underground space
  • Belarusian: падва́л (padvál) — underground space
  • Belarusian: лёх (ljox) — underground space
  • Belarusian: по́граб (póhrab) — underground space
  • Belarusian: піўні́ца (piwníca) — underground space
  • Bengali: ভিত্তি (bhitti) — underground space
  • Bulgarian: мазе́ (mazé) — underground space
  • Bulgarian: и́зба (ízba) — underground space
  • Bulgarian: зи́мник (zímnik) — underground space
  • Catalan: soterrani — underground space
  • Cherokee: ᎣᏏ (osi) — underground space
  • Chinese Cantonese: 地牢 (dei6 lou4) — underground space
  • Chinese: 地下室 (zh-min-nan) — underground space
  • Chinese Mandarin: 地窖 (dìjiào) — underground space
  • Chinese Mandarin: 地下室 (dìxiàshì) — underground space
  • Choctaw: aboha anokaka kula — underground space
  • Czech: sklep — underground space
  • Danish: kælder — underground space
  • Dutch: kelder — underground space
  • Erzya: мацт (mact) — underground space
  • Esperanto: kelo — underground space
  • Estonian: kelder — underground space
  • Faroese: kjallari — underground space
  • Finnish: kellari — underground space
  • French: cave — underground space
  • Galician: adega — underground space
  • Galician: soto — underground space
  • Georgian: სარდაფი (sardapi) — underground space
  • Georgian: პადვალი (ṗadvali) — underground space
  • German: Keller — underground space
  • Greek: κελάρι (kelári) — underground space
  • Greek: υπόγειο (ypógeio) — underground space
  • Ancient Greek: κρύπτη (krúptē) — underground space
  • Ancient Greek: πιθεών (pitheṓn) — underground space
  • Ancient Greek: ὑπόγειον (hupógeion) — underground space
  • Greenlandic: naqqup-ilua — underground space
  • Hebrew: מַרְתֵּף (martéf) — underground space
  • Hindi: तहख़ाना (tahxānā) — underground space
  • Hindi: सुरागार (surāgār) — underground space
  • Hungarian: pince — underground space
  • Hutterisch: Keller — underground space
  • Icelandic: kjallari — underground space
  • Ido: kelero — underground space
  • Indonesian: ruang di bawah tanah — underground space
  • Indonesian: rubanah — underground space
  • Indonesian: ruang bawah tanah — underground space
  • Indonesian: basemen — underground space
  • Italian: cantina — underground space
  • Italian: scantinato — underground space
  • Italian: cantinato — underground space
  • Italian: seminterrato — underground space
  • Japanese: 地下室 (chikashitsu) — underground space
  • Japanese: 穴蔵 (anagura) — underground space
  • Japanese: 穴倉 (anagura) — underground space
  • Japanese: 窖 (anagura) — underground space
  • Kannada: ನೆಲಮನೆ (nelamane) — underground space
  • Kashubian: sklep — underground space
  • Kazakh: төле (töle) — underground space
  • Kazakh: жертөле (jertöle) — underground space
  • Khmer: លេណ (lein) — underground space
  • Korean: 지하실 (jihasil) — underground space
  • Northern Kurdish: kîler — underground space
  • Northern Kurdish: bodrûm — underground space
  • Northern Kurdish: jêrzemîn — underground space
  • Kyrgyz: погреб (pogreb) — underground space
  • Kyrgyz: подвал (podval) — underground space
  • Kyrgyz: жертөлө (jertölö) — underground space
  • Lao: ຫ້ອງໃຕ້ດິນ (hǭng tai din) — underground space
  • Latvian: pagrabs — underground space
  • Lithuanian: rūsys — underground space
  • Macedonian: визба (vizba) — underground space
  • Macedonian: подрум (podrum) — underground space
  • Malay: bilik bawah tanah — underground space
  • Mongolian: зоорь (zoorʹ) — underground space
  • Mongolian: суурь (suurʹ) — underground space
  • Norman: ch'lyi — underground space
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kjeller — underground space
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kjellar — underground space
  • Ojibwe: moonikaan — underground space
  • Old Norse: kjallari — underground space
  • Old Norse: kellari — underground space
  • Pashto: زېرزميني (zerzaminí) — underground space
  • Pashto: سرداب (sardāb) — underground space
  • Dari: زیرْزَمِین (zērzamīn) — underground space
  • Dari: سَرْدَاب (sardāb) — underground space
  • Iranian Persian: زیرْزَمین (zirzamin) — underground space
  • Iranian Persian: سَرْداب (sardâb) — underground space
  • Iranian Persian: تَهخانِه (ta-xâne) — underground space
  • Iranian Persian: تَهْ خانِه (tah xâne) — underground space
  • Iranian Persian: سَرْدابِه (sardâbe) — underground space
  • Plautdietsch: Kjala — underground space
  • Polish: piwnica — underground space
  • Polish: loch — underground space
  • Portuguese: cave — underground space
  • Portuguese: porão — underground space
  • Romanian: pivniță — underground space
  • Romanian: beci — underground space
  • Russian: подва́л (podvál) — underground space
  • Russian: по́греб (pógreb) — underground space
  • Northern Sami: keallir — underground space
  • Serbo-Croatian: по̀друм — underground space
  • Serbo-Croatian: pòdrum — underground space
  • Slovak: pivnica — underground space
  • Slovene: klet — underground space
  • Spanish: sótano — underground space
  • Spanish: furnia — underground space
  • Spanish: sibil — underground space
  • Swedish: källare — underground space
  • Tagalog: silong — underground space
  • Tajik: таҳхона (tahxona) — underground space
  • Tajik: ӯра (üra) — underground space
  • Tajik: заминкан (zaminkan) — underground space
  • Tajik: хонаи зеризаминӣ (xona-yi zerizamini) — underground space
  • Tajik: сардоба (sardoba) — underground space
  • Tashelhit: tasraft — underground space
  • Tatar: подвал (podwal) — underground space
  • Thai: ห้องใต้ดิน (hɔ̂ng-dtâi-din) — underground space
  • Turkish: bodrum — underground space
  • Turkish: kiler — underground space
  • Ottoman Turkish: پودروم (podrum) — underground space
  • Ottoman Turkish: كنج (künc) — underground space
  • Turkmen: podwal — underground space
  • Turkmen: ýerzemin — underground space
  • Ukrainian: льох (lʹox) — underground space
  • Ukrainian: підва́л (pidvál) — underground space
  • Ukrainian: по́гріб (póhrib) — underground space
  • Ukrainian: пивни́ця (pyvnýcja) — underground space
  • Unami: hàkialàhkw — underground space
  • Unami: hàkialàhkàt — underground space
  • Urdu: گودام (godām) — underground space
  • Urdu: سَرْداب (sardāb) — underground space
  • Urdu: تَہْ خانَہ (tah xāna) — underground space
  • Uyghur: ئورا (ora) — underground space
  • Uyghur: گېرەم (gërem) — underground space
  • Uyghur: گەمە (geme) — underground space
  • Uzbek: yertoʻla — underground space
  • Uzbek: podval — underground space
  • Venetan: vòlt — underground space
  • Vietnamese: hầm chứa — underground space
  • Vietnamese: hầm rượu — underground space
  • Vietnamese: tầng hầm — underground space
  • Welsh: daeargell — underground space
  • Yiddish: קעלער (keler) — underground space
  • Zazaki: bodrum — underground space
  • Albanian: qilar — wine collection
  • Bulgarian: вина́рска и́зба (vinárska ízba) — wine collection
  • Catalan: celler — wine collection
  • Catalan: cava — wine collection
  • Chinese Mandarin: 酒窖收藏 (jiǔjiào shōucáng) — wine collection
  • Czech: vinný sklep — wine collection
  • Dutch: wijnkelder — wine collection
  • Finnish: viinikellari — wine collection
  • French: cave — wine collection
  • Galician: adega — wine collection
  • Georgian: მარანი (marani) — wine collection
  • Italian: cella — wine collection
  • Italian: cantina — wine collection
  • Italian: bottiglieria — wine collection
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: adega — wine collection
  • Polish: piwnica win — wine collection
  • Portuguese: adega — wine collection
  • Portuguese: garrafeira — wine collection
  • Romanian: pivniță — wine collection
  • Romanian: beci — wine collection
  • Russian: ви́нный по́греб (vínnyj pógreb) — wine collection
  • Serbo-Croatian: вина̀рија — wine collection
  • Serbo-Croatian: vinàrija — wine collection
  • Spanish: bodega — wine collection
  • Spanish: cava — wine collection
  • Spanish: furnia — wine collection
  • Turkish: mahzen — wine collection
  • Ukrainian: ви́нниця (výnnycja) — wine collection
  • Venetan: càneva — wine collection
  • Zazaki: mahsen — wine collection
  • Bulgarian: дъно (dǎno) — slang: last place in competition
  • Catalan: cua — slang: last place in competition
  • Chinese Mandarin: 末位 (mòwèi) — slang: last place in competition
  • Finnish: jumbosija — slang: last place in competition
  • Portuguese: lanterna — slang: last place in competition
  • Portuguese: lanterninha — slang: last place in competition
  • Spanish: cola — slang: last place in competition
  • Spanish: sótano — slang: last place in competition
  • Zazaki: xırxane — slang: last place in competition
  • Chinese Mandarin: 儲存於地下室 /储存于地下室 (chǔcún yú dìxiàshì) — to store in cellar
  • Finnish: pitää kellarissa — to store in cellar
  • Finnish: kellaroida — to store in cellar
  • German: einkellern — to store in cellar
  • Portuguese: armazenar (na cave/adega) — to store in cellar
Real reading context

cellar in complete knowledge articles