Dictionary

valet en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈvælɪt/ (General-American)
• /ˈvæleɪ/ (General-American)
• /væˈleɪ/ (General-American)
• /ˈvæleɪ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈvælɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French valet, from Old French vaslet, from Medieval Latin *vassellittus, diminutive of Late Latin vassallus (“manservant, domestic, retainer”), from vassus (“servant”), from Gaulish *wassos (“young man, squire”), from Proto-Celtic *wastos (“servant”) (compare Old Irish foss and Welsh gwas). Doublet of varlet.

Meanings

1. A man's personal male attendant, responsible for his clothes and appearance.
2. A hotel employee performing such duties for guests.
3. A female performer in professional wrestling, acting as either a manager or personal chaperone; often used to attract and titillate male members of the audience.
4. A female chaperone who accompanies a man, and is usually not married to him.
5. (US) A person employed to clean or park cars.
   • A HEROIC dad who helped deliver his new-born baby in the back of his car had to explain to his car valet that he wasn't involved in illegal crime. 2017 March 7, Stephen Maguire, “Hero Irish dad reveals he had to tell car valet he ‘wasn’t up to anything illegal’ after wife gave birth on back seat on Donegal road”, in The Irish Sun, archived from the original on 06 Dec 2021:
6. A person employed to assist the jockey and trainer at a racecourse.
7. A wooden stand on which to hold clothes and accessories in preparation for dressing.
8. A kind of goad or stick with an iron point.

Forms

Coordinates

lady's maid

Deriveds

valetdom · valet parking · valet-de-place · valetism · valetry · clothes valet · valet-de-chambre · valethood

Synonyms

gentleman's gentleman · parking attendant · butler

Translations (87)

ka ლაქია (a man's personal male attendant) · ru гости́ничный рабо́тник (a hotel employee performing such duties for guests) · id boi hotel (a hotel employee performing such duties for guests) · pl parkingowy (a person employed to clean or park cars) · de Escort (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · de Parkplatzwächter (a person employed to clean or park cars) · ro însoțitoare (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · de Parkplatzwächterin (a person employed to clean or park cars) · he נושא־כלים (a man's personal male attendant) · de Diener (a man's personal male attendant) · ro fecior (a man's personal male attendant) · es mánager (a female performer in professional wrestling) · ka მოსამსახურე (a man's personal male attendant) · ro valet (a man's personal male attendant) · cs hotelový zřízenec (a hotel employee performing such duties for guests) · mk зака́чалка (a wooden stand on which to hold clothes and accessories in preparation for dressing) · ro lacheu (a man's personal male attendant) · de Begleiterin (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · ru денщи́к (a man's personal male attendant) · ga giolla páirceála (a person employed to clean or park cars) · el παρκαδόρος (a person employed to clean or park cars) · mk придру́жничка (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · cs hotelová obsluha (a hotel employee performing such duties for guests) · ca assistent (a hotel employee performing such duties for guests) · yi קאַמער־דינער (a man's personal male attendant) · mk ли́чен слу́га (a man's personal male attendant) · nl gezelschapsdame (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · bg слуга (a man's personal male attendant) · es edecán (a man's personal male attendant) · de Hausdiener (a man's personal male attendant) · fr valet de chambre (a man's personal male attendant) · pt valete m or f arrumador (a person employed to clean or park cars) · ca ajudant de cambra (a man's personal male attendant) · ar خادمَة (a female performer in professional wrestling) · de Gesellschaftsdame (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · tr uşak (a man's personal male attendant) · fi hotellipalvelija (a hotel employee performing such duties for guests) · la pedisequa (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · ru дуэ́нья (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · hu inas (a man's personal male attendant) · ru слуга́ (a man's personal male attendant) · gd gille-coise (a man's personal male attendant) · he נער (a man's personal male attendant) · de Putzer (a man's personal male attendant) · id boi (a man's personal male attendant) · de Begleitung (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · ota اوشاق (a man's personal male attendant) · he נערת ליווי (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · el υπηρέτης (a man's personal male attendant) · ru ве́шалка (a wooden stand on which to hold clothes and accessories in preparation for dressing) · es aparcacoches (a person employed to clean or park cars) · ja ボーイ (a man's personal male attendant) · id parkir valet (a person employed to clean or park cars) · cs komorník (a man's personal male attendant) · de Hoteldiener (a hotel employee performing such duties for guests) · fr valet (a man's personal male attendant) · pt mordomo (a man's personal male attendant) · de Leibdiener (a man's personal male attendant) · fr chaperon (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · ro șaperon (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · fr valet (a hotel employee performing such duties for guests) · de stummer Diener (a wooden stand on which to hold clothes and accessories in preparation for dressing) · el συνοδός (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · fr duègne (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · fr majordome (a man's personal male attendant) · ka სასტუმროს მოსამსახურე (a hotel employee performing such duties for guests) · id boi parkir (a person employed to clean or park cars) · de Dienstbote (a man's personal male attendant) · sv kammartjänare (a man's personal male attendant) · fi kamaripalvelija (a man's personal male attendant) · ru ордина́рец (a man's personal male attendant) · fr valet (a female performer in professional wrestling) · de Kammerdiener (a man's personal male attendant) · bg камериер (a man's personal male attendant) · bg придружителка (a female chaperone who accompanies a man) · es galán de noche (a wooden stand on which to hold clothes and accessories in preparation for dressing) · fr voiturier (a person employed to clean or park cars) · pt manobrista (a person employed to clean or park cars) · it parcheggiatore (a person employed to clean or park cars) · mk со́бар (a hotel employee performing such duties for guests) · pt valet (a person employed to clean or park cars) · el καμαριέρης (a hotel employee performing such duties for guests) · fr valet (a person employed to clean or park cars) · gl aparcacoches (a person employed to clean or park cars) · ru камерди́нер (a man's personal male attendant) · fi miespalvelija (a man's personal male attendant) · ka კამერდინერი (a man's personal male attendant)

valet en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈvælɪt/ (General-American)
• /ˈvæleɪ/ (General-American)
• /væˈleɪ/ (General-American)
• /ˈvæleɪ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈvælɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French valet, from Old French vaslet, from Medieval Latin *vassellittus, diminutive of Late Latin vassallus (“manservant, domestic, retainer”), from vassus (“servant”), from Gaulish *wassos (“young man, squire”), from Proto-Celtic *wastos (“servant”) (compare Old Irish foss and Welsh gwas). Doublet of varlet.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To serve (someone) as a valet.
   • You can valet me, can you? Bother valeting me! I like to put on my own clothes, and brush them, too, when they are on; and if I only knew how to black my own boots, by George I should like to do it! 1866, Wilkie Collins, Armadale, London: Smith, Elder & Co., Volume I, Book 2, Chapter 2, p. 163:
   • […] the red-haired boy who had valeted me in the morning appeared in a plain suit of black. 1926, Neville Shute, chapter 7, in Marazan, London: Cassell:
2. (Ireland, UK, transitive) To clean and service (a car), as a valet does.
   • He revealed: “We had been through a lot and I decided the car needed to be cleaned out after Georgina had to deliver the baby in the car. “You can imagine the scene when I left the car in for valeting. I got some funny looks and I had to explain to the guy that I wasn’t up to anything illegal because it did look a bit like a crime scene.” 2017 March 7, Stephen Maguire, “Hero Irish dad reveals he had to tell car valet he ‘wasn’t up to anything illegal’ after wife gave birth on back seat on Donegal road”, in The Irish Sun, archived from the original on 06 Dec 2021:
3. (US, transitive) To leave (a car) with a valet to park it.
   • I asked Giacomo if he ever valeted his car, and he twisted his face into a grimace as he replied, “Rarely, but I have done it. Nervous time.” 2012 May 30, Jay Weston, “One of the Most Eligible Bachelors in L.A. Has 55 Ferraris.. and Takes Me for a Drive in One!”, in The Huffington Post, archived from the original on 13 Dec 2025:
   • “‘Is this a date?’” Ms. Ludbrook recalled thinking during dinner. “I had valeted my car, and he hadn’t. He said, ‘Bye,’ and went to his car. Clearly this was not a date.” 2017 February 11, Rosalie R. Radomsky, “Emma Ludbrook and Tom Windish: Their First Date Was a Big Production”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 26 Sep 2020:

Forms