waiter
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waiter
- /ˈweɪ̯təː/ UK
- [ˈweɪ̯tʰəː] UK
- /ˈwæɪ̯təː/ Australia
- [ˈwæ̝ɪ̯tʰəː] ~ [ˈwæ̝ɪ̯tʰɐ̝ː] Australia
- /ˈwæɪ̯ɾəː/ Australia
- [ˈwæ̝ɪ̯ɾəː] ~ [ˈwæ̝ɪ̯ɾɐ̝ː] Australia
- /ˈweɪ̯tɚ/ US
- [ˈweɪ̯tʰɚ] ~ [ˈweɪ̯tʰɹ̩] US
- /ˈweɪ̯ɾɚ/ US
- [ˈweɪ̯ɾɚ] ~ [ˈweɪ̯ɾɹ̩] US
Rhymes with -eɪtə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
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.
noun waiters
- 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.
- 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.
- A person working as an attendant at the London Stock Exchange.
- 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 […]
- A custom house officer; a tide waiter.
- A watchman.
verb waiters · waitering · waitered
- To work as a waiter. I had definitely had my fill of factory jobs, but had never worked in an office, nor bussed, nor waitered.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: server, busboy, garçon, barman, bartender, ladle, box, kid, tip, hub, waitress, barmaid, laddie, lad, boy, dude
Translations
Every language
noun a server in a restaurant or similar
| Español | camarero, garzón, mesero, mesonero, mozo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 웨이터 weiteo |
| 日本語 | ウエーター uētā, ウエイター ueitā, 給仕 kyūji |
| 中文 | 服務員 /服务员 fúwùyuán, 侍者 shìzhě |
| हिन्दी | वेटर veṭar, बैरा bairā |
| Kiswahili | mhudumu, weita, mlisha |
| Português | empregado, garçom |
| Français | serveur, serveuse |
| Deutsch | Kellner, Kellnerin |
| Italiano | cameriere, cameriera |
| Ελληνικά | σερβιτόρος servitóros |
| Română | chelner, chelneriță, ospătar, ospătăriță |
| Русский | официа́нт oficiánt, официа́нтка oficiántka, ке́льнер kélʹner |
| Tiếng Việt | người hầu bàn, chị hầu bàn, bồi |
| العربية | نَادِل nādil, نَادِلَة nādila |
| עברית | מֶלְצַר meltsár |
noun someone who waits
| Español | esperador, esperadora |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Wartender, Wartende |
| Русский | жду́щий ždúščij, ожида́ющий ožidájuščij |
Talk about this word "waiter." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/waiter. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. waiter. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/waiter "waiter." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/waiter.Cite this
@misc{waiter_2026,
title = {waiter},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/waiter},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
