self-service: Meaning and Definition of

self-serv•ice

Pronunciation: (self'sûr'vis), [key]
— n.
  1. the serving of oneself in a restaurant, shop, gas station, or other facility, without the aid of a waiter, clerk, attendant, etc.
—adj.
  1. 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.
  2. of, for, or pertaining to something designed to be used or enjoyed without the aid of an attendant: self-service banking; self-service elevators.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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