os·te·ria \ˌästəˈrēə, ˌōs-\noun (-s) Etymology: Italian, from oste innkeeper, from Latin hospit-, hospes host, stranger, guest — more at host 1.: a wayside inn < stopped for the night at a small osteria — J.H.Shorthouse > 2.: restaurant < a sandwich and wine at an osteria near the job — New York Times Magazine >