The word canteen can be traced to French, Italian, and ultimately, Latin and Greek. It may have started as the Greek word kanthos, meaning corner of the eye. Somehow this word is thought to be related to the Latin canthus/cantus, which means iron tire. This lead to canto (corner) and cantina (wine cellar) in Italian. That getting closer to the canteen we know. In the French, cantine can refer to a bottle case.

Where could the iron tire have come from? Maybe for the iron rings that adorn wine barrels.

Flash forward to 18th century English where a canteen could have been a chest for carrying bottles or cooking utensils, a flask for carrying something to drink, a mess kit, and finally a bar or general store at a military post. These are the sort of canteens we are used to hearing about.

The Happy Burger in Mariposa sponsors a canteen that kind of combines several of these definitions. Canteen Coffee Time takes place Mondays from 6:00 am to 10:00 am. This free gathering is for veterans and their spouses. So there are beverages and it is a place for military people to gather, kind of like they would have at a bar or general store on a military base.