waiter

Pronunciation: /ˈweɪ̯təː/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
  2. noun a person who waits or awaits

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.

In classic literature

Synonyms

server

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
dining-room attendant
Narrower (hyponyms)
carhop, sommelier, counterperson, waitress

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