waiter en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- [ˈwæ̝ɪ̯tʰəː] ~ [ˈwæ̝ɪ̯tʰɐ̝ː] without t-flapping
- /ˈweɪ̯təː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- [ˈwæ̝ɪ̯ɾəː] ~ [ˈwæ̝ɪ̯ɾɐ̝ː] t-flapping
- /ˈwæɪ̯təː/ without t-flapping
- [ˈweɪ̯tʰəː] (Received-Pronunciation)
- [ˈweɪ̯tʰɚ] ~ [ˈweɪ̯tʰɹ̩] without t-flapping
- /ˈwæɪ̯ɾəː/ t-flapping
- [ˈweɪ̯ɾɚ] ~ [ˈweɪ̯ɾɹ̩] t-flapping
- /ˈweɪ̯ɾɚ/ t-flapping
- /ˈweɪ̯tɚ/ without t-flapping
Etymology
From late 14th century Middle English waiter, wayter (“attendant, watchman”). By surface analysis, wait + -er. Sense of "servant who waits at tables" is from late 15th century, originally in reference to household servants; in reference to inns, eating houses, etc., it is attested from 1660s. Feminine form waitress first recorded 1834. The London Stock Exchange sense harks back to the early days of trading in coffee-shops.
Meanings
-
A male or female attendant who serves customers at their tables in a restaurant, café or similar.
Waiter! There's a fly in my soup.
A waiter brought his aperitif, which was a small scotch and soda, and as he sipped it gratefully he sighed. ‘Civilized,’ he said to Mr. Campion. ‘Humanizing.’ […] ‘Cigars and summer days and women in big hats with swansdown face-powder, that's what it reminds me of.’
1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid,[…]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.
1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter II, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
-
Someone who waits for somebody or something; a person who is waiting.
However, the NTPF also contained implicit negative incentives for the public sector by offering alternative private sector treatment for the longest waiters at no extra cost to patients or no penalty to public providers.
2013, Siciliani Luigi, Borowitz Michael, Moran Valerie, OECD Health Policy Studies: Waiting Time Policies in the Health Sector:
- (historical) A person working as an attendant at the London Stock Exchange.
-
(obsolete) A vessel or tray on which something is carried, as dishes, etc.; a salver. (See etymology of dumbwaiter.)
Cautioning her, in these terms, not to trip over a heterogeneous litter of pastry-cook’s trays, lamps, waiters full of glasses, and piles of rout seats which were strewn about the hall, plainly bespeaking a late party on the previous night, the man led the way to the second story […]
1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby:RUSTOMJEE PESTONJEE will sell by Public Auction, on MONDAY, the 9th instant, at his Rooms, in Medow Street, the property of the late Captain Ord, 3rd Regt. N.I., comprising a Double Barrelled Gun, by Baker, Silver Tea and Sugar Pots, four pairs of Muffiniers, Spoons and Forks, &c., a pair of Plated Hotwater Curry Dishes, Waiters, Candlesticks, Dessert Knives and Forks, &c. &c., also, the Effects of several deceased persons.
1862 February 5, Rustomjee Pestonjee & Co., “Sale by Public Auction, by Order of the Administrator General”, in The Bombay Gazette and Indian Daily News, number 5,499 (New Series), Bombay: Bombay Gazette Press, →OCLC, page 4, column 5:
- (obsolete) A custom house officer; a tide waiter.
- (obsolete) A watchman.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| waiters | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
shad-waiter · headwaiter · waiterhood · waiterless · tide waiter · coast waiter · cater-waiter · wine waiter · waitered · landing waiter · drinks waiter · landwaiter · dumbwaiter · quarter waiter · waiterish · waiterlike · waiterdom · waitron · waiterly · waitering · waitership · waiterage · time-waiter
Descendants
ویٹر · 웨이터 · ウエーター · ওয়েটার · वेटर
Relateds
Translations (211)
lt kelneris (a server in a restaurant or similar) · tr garson (a server in a restaurant or similar) · km បោយ (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nds-de Kellnersch (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nl wachtende (someone who waits) · ar نَادِل (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nds-de Kellnerin (a server in a restaurant or similar) · is gengilbeina (a server in a restaurant or similar) · id pelayan (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ro chelneriță (a server in a restaurant or similar) · mt wejter (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nb servitør (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sl strežnik (a server in a restaurant or similar) · be ке́льнер (a server in a restaurant or similar) · lv viesmīlis (a server in a restaurant or similar) · fi tarjoilija (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ka ოფიციანტი (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sw mhudumu (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh uslužiteljka (a server in a restaurant or similar) · eo kelnero (a server in a restaurant or similar) · kk даяшы (a server in a restaurant or similar) · th เด็กเสิร์ฟ (a server in a restaurant or similar) · pl stacz (someone who waits) · uk офіціа́нт (a server in a restaurant or similar) · cmn 服務員 /服务员 (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ru официа́нт (a server in a restaurant or similar) · vo jistebedan (someone who waits) · ro ospătăriță (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh услужитељка (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh kȍnobār (a server in a restaurant or similar) · cs číšnice (a server in a restaurant or similar) · km សេវកៈ (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh konobàrica (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ja 給仕 (a server in a restaurant or similar) · et ettekandja (a server in a restaurant or similar) · eo atendanto (someone who waits) · pl staczka (someone who waits) · vi bồi (a server in a restaurant or similar) · tg пешхизмат (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sq kamerier (a server in a restaurant or similar) · pt empregado (a server in a restaurant or similar) · izh taritsija (a server in a restaurant or similar) · es esperadora (someone who waits) · pl garson (a server in a restaurant or similar) · hi बैरा (a server in a restaurant or similar) · az ofisiant (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ky официант (a server in a restaurant or similar) · de Wartende (someone who waits) · pl kelner (a server in a restaurant or similar) · az süfrəçi (a server in a restaurant or similar) · et kelner (a server in a restaurant or similar) · fa-ira گارْسون (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ur ویٹَر (a server in a restaurant or similar) · yue 企台 (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ru ке́льнер (a server in a restaurant or similar) · he מֶלְצַר (a server in a restaurant or similar) · it cameriere (a server in a restaurant or similar) · pl kelnerka (a server in a restaurant or similar) · es garzón (a server in a restaurant or similar) · vi chị hầu bàn (a server in a restaurant or similar) · mk келнерка (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sk čašníčka (a server in a restaurant or similar) · egy W22-W-A1 (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sw weita (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nl kelner (a server in a restaurant or similar) · kl saqisoq (a server in a restaurant or similar) · bg сервитьо́р (a server in a restaurant or similar) · arz جرسون (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ro ospătar (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ga friothalaí (a server in a restaurant or similar) · fo tænari (a server in a restaurant or similar) · be афіцыя́нт (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nn servitør (a server in a restaurant or similar) · kum официант (a server in a restaurant or similar) · mn ᠬᠣᠭᠤᠯᠠ ᠵᠥᠭᠡᠭᠡᠭᠴᠢ (a server in a restaurant or similar) · mk конобар (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nn kelner (a server in a restaurant or similar) · lv oficiante (a server in a restaurant or similar) · es mesero (a server in a restaurant or similar) · bg сервитьо́рка (a server in a restaurant or similar) · bg ке́лнерка (a server in a restaurant or similar) · eo kelnerino (a server in a restaurant or similar) · mi weita (a server in a restaurant or similar) · vo hibötan (a server in a restaurant or similar) · hy մատուցող (a server in a restaurant or similar) · uk ке́льнерка (a server in a restaurant or similar) · yi קעלנער (a server in a restaurant or similar) · la minister (a server in a restaurant or similar) · yue 企檯 /企台 (a server in a restaurant or similar) · haw kuene (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nl serveerder (a server in a restaurant or similar) · uz ofisiant (a server in a restaurant or similar) · yo agbáwo (a server in a restaurant or similar) · de Wartender (someone who waits) · mi tuari (a server in a restaurant or similar) · mk чекач (someone who waits) · be ке́льнерка (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh ке̏лнер (a server in a restaurant or similar) · it cameriera (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ar نَادِلَة (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sl natakar (a server in a restaurant or similar) · de Kellnerin (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh че̏катељ (someone who waits) · ce официант (a server in a restaurant or similar) · cs servírka (a server in a restaurant or similar) · la administer (a server in a restaurant or similar) · th บ๋อย (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ca cambrer (a server in a restaurant or similar) · uz ofitsiant (a server in a restaurant or similar) · fa-ira پیشْخِدْمَت (a server in a restaurant or similar) · fr serveuse (a server in a restaurant or similar) · es camarero (a server in a restaurant or similar) · gl camareiro (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ru жду́щий (someone who waits) · sv kypare (a server in a restaurant or similar) · pt garçom (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sl natakarica (a server in a restaurant or similar) · es esperador (someone who waits) · lo ເດັກເສີບ (a server in a restaurant or similar) · io garsonulo (a server in a restaurant or similar) · rgn camarir (a server in a restaurant or similar) · uz ofitsiantka (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh коноба̀рица (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sw mlisha (a server in a restaurant or similar) · fi odottaja (someone who waits) · sv servitris (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sk servírka (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nl serveerster (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ug خىزمەتچى (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sv servitör (a server in a restaurant or similar) · th สาวเสิร์ฟ (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh uslužitelj (a server in a restaurant or similar) · lo ໂບຍ (a server in a restaurant or similar) · cy gweinydd (a server in a restaurant or similar) · hu pincér (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh čȅkatelj (someone who waits) · ja ウエーター (a server in a restaurant or similar) · vi người hầu bàn (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh ко̏ноба̄р (a server in a restaurant or similar) · yue 侍應 /侍应 (a server in a restaurant or similar) · lv viesmīle (a server in a restaurant or similar) · lt padavėjas (a server in a restaurant or similar) · is þjónn (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ga freastalaí (a server in a restaurant or similar) · es mozo (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ko 웨이터 (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ru ожида́ющий (someone who waits) · mn хоол зөөгч (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nb kelner (a server in a restaurant or similar) · uk офіціа́нтка (a server in a restaurant or similar) · vo bötan (a server in a restaurant or similar) · lv oficiants (a server in a restaurant or similar) · rm camarier (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ja ウエイター (a server in a restaurant or similar) · gd neach-frithealaidh (a server in a restaurant or similar) · bg ке́лнер (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh услужитељ (a server in a restaurant or similar) · be афіцыя́нтка (a server in a restaurant or similar) · yue 企枱 (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh ке̏лнерица (a server in a restaurant or similar) · el σερβιτόρος (a server in a restaurant or similar) · uk ке́льнер (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh kȅlner (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ur بَیرا (a server in a restaurant or similar) · vo stebedan (someone who waits) · sv väntande (someone who waits) · hi वेटर (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh čȅkalac (someone who waits) · sl strežnica (a server in a restaurant or similar) · mh buwae (a server in a restaurant or similar) · mn үйлчлэгч (a server in a restaurant or similar) · mk келнер (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sk čašník (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ro chelner (a server in a restaurant or similar) · vo histebedan (someone who waits) · mn ᠦᠢᠯᠡᠴᠢᠯᠡᠭᠴᠢ (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nds-de Kellner (a server in a restaurant or similar) · da tjener (a server in a restaurant or similar) · bn ওয়েটার (a server in a restaurant or similar) · kw servyades (a server in a restaurant or similar) · de Kellner (a server in a restaurant or similar) · kk даяршы (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sq kamarier (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nl wachter (someone who waits) · uz ofisiantka (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nl ober (a server in a restaurant or similar) · es mesonero (a server in a restaurant or similar) · io garsonino (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nb ventende (someone who waits) · mk конобарка (a server in a restaurant or similar) · vo jibötan (a server in a restaurant or similar) · gd gille-frithealaidh (a server in a restaurant or similar) · kw servyas (a server in a restaurant or similar) · fr serveur (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ms pelayan (a server in a restaurant or similar) · ru официа́нтка (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh че̏калац (someone who waits) · my စားပွဲထိုး (a server in a restaurant or similar) · arz جرسونة (a server in a restaurant or similar) · km អ្នកបំរើ (a server in a restaurant or similar) · tk ofisian (a server in a restaurant or similar) · se dárju (a server in a restaurant or similar) · az xörəkpaylayan (a server in a restaurant or similar) · sh kȅlnerica (a server in a restaurant or similar) · cs číšník (a server in a restaurant or similar) · cmn 侍者 (a server in a restaurant or similar) · nds-de Kellnersche (a server in a restaurant or similar) · lt oficiantas (a server in a restaurant or similar) · io garsono (a server in a restaurant or similar) · tk ofisiant (a server in a restaurant or similar) · bg гарсо́н (a server in a restaurant or similar)