約公元1300年，「家庭、營地等的供應品或糧食」，來自store (v.) 或來自古法語estore「糧食；艦隊，海軍，軍隊」，源自estorer或來自中世紀拉丁語staurum, instaurum「儲存」。一般意義上的「足夠的供應」自15世紀晚期開始證實。「商品存放銷售的地方」的意義在1721年美國英語中被記錄，來自「儲存供應和糧食的地方」（1660年代）。英國英語更喜歡使用shop (n.)。
The word store is of larger signification than the word shop. It not only comprehends all that is embraced in the word shop, when that word is used to designate a place in which goods or merchandise are sold, but more, a place of deposit, a store house. In common parlance the two words have a distinct meaning. We speak of shops as places in which mechanics pursue their trades, as a carpenter's shop a blacksmith's shop a shoemaker's shop. While, if we refer to a place where goods and merchandise are bought and sold, whether by wholesale or retail, we speak of it as a store. [C.J. Brickell, opinion in Sparrenberger v. The State of Alabama, Supreme Court of Alabama, December term, 1875]
store這個詞的意義比shop這個詞更為廣泛。它不僅包括當shop這個詞用來指代銷售商品或貨物的地方時所包含的一切，更是一個存放的地方，一個store house。在日常用語中，這兩個詞有著明確的區別。我們稱shops為機械師從事其行業的地方，如carpenter's shop a blacksmith's shop a shoemaker's shop。而如果我們指的是商品和貨物買賣的地方，無論是批發還是零售，我們則稱之為store。[C.J. Brickell, opinion in Sparrenberger v. The State of Alabama, Supreme Court of Alabama, December term, 1875]
Stores「軍隊或戰艦的物品和設備」來自1630年代。In store「為未來使用而儲存」（也指事件等）自公元1300年起被記錄。
