More "Bakery" Hits

[Frank Abate]

Fred

I just checked Dict of Amer Eng and Dict of Americanisms.  Nothing on bakery
in the latter.  In the former, they have an entry, but first cite is 1827.
Interesting that the second cite is from 1832, Mrs. Trollope, clearly
finding the word new-fangled and American.  She was a stern Brit traveler to
America, as you know.

We may be on to something here, but need to find the "missing link".  I
would bet a small amount that this is a pure Americanism, so far largely
unnoticed.  I would further gamble that there is older (than 1780) evidence
from the Philadelphia/PA Dutch area.  I think German Bakerei is the etymon,
not the Dutch, as DAE says.  Could be wrong there, of course, but this is
almost certainly an Americanism, and post-Johnson for sure (who has baker
but not bakery).  As John S noted, bakehouse is the older term.

Frank