self-service
[ self-sur-vis ]
/ ˈsɛlfˈsɜr vɪs /
noun
the serving of oneself in a restaurant, shop, gas station, or other facility, without the aid of a waiter, clerk, attendant, etc.
adjective
noting or pertaining to a cafeteria, grocery, store, etc., designed for the patron or customer to gather food or merchandise from a display or display shelves without the aid of attendants and pay at a cashier's desk upon leaving.
of, for, or pertaining to something designed to be used or enjoyed without the aid of an attendant: self-service banking; self-service elevators.
Origin of self-service
First recorded in 1920–25
Words nearby self-service
self-sealing,
self-seeker,
self-seeking,
self-selection,
self-serve,
self-service,
self-serving,
self-similarity,
self-slaughter,
self-slayer,
self-sow
Example sentences from the Web for self-service
He came in, employing the self-service, picked up—let's see, cinnamon rolls—you said?
Warren Commission (10 of 26): Hearings Vol. X (of 15) |The President's Commission on the Assassination of President KennedyEach suite is furnished appropriately; each is fully Gunthered for self-service.
The Galaxy Primes |Edward Elmer Smith
British Dictionary definitions for self-service
self-service
adjective
of or denoting a shop, restaurant, petrol station, etc, where the customer serves himself
noun
the practice of serving oneself, as in a shop, etc