valet

[ va-ley, val-it, val-ey ]

noun

1. a male servant who attends to the personal needs of his male employer, as by taking care of clothing or the like; manservant.
2. a man who is employed for cleaning and pressing, laundering, and similar services for patrons of a hotel, passengers on a ship, etc.
3. an attendant who parks cars for patrons at a hotel, restaurant, etc.
4. a stand or rack for holding coats, hats, etc.

verb (used with or without object)

, val·et·ed, val·et·ing.

1. to serve as a valet.

valet

/ ˈvæleɪ; ˈvælɪt /

noun

1. a manservant who acts as personal attendant to his employer, looking after his clothing, serving his meals, etc French namevalet de chambre
2. a manservant who attends to the requirements of patrons in a hotel, passengers on board ship, etc; steward

verb

1. to act as a valet for (a person)
2. tr to clean the bodywork and interior of (a car) as a professional service

Other Words From

• val·et·less adjective
• un·val·et·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of valet¹

1560–70; < French; Middle French va ( s ) let squire, equivalent to vas- (< Medieval Latin vassus servant) + -let -let; vassal

Word History and Origins

Origin of valet¹

C16: from Old French vaslet page, from Medieval Latin vassus servant; see vassal

Example Sentences

While the speed limit, valet mode and sentry mode settings have been moved to a new category titled Security, which includes tips on how to use the Bluetooth, phone key and location services.

From TechCrunch

As an added bonus, they have a vehicle valet program that drops you off at one end of the river or trail and shuttles your car to the other end.

From The Daily Beast

They’re early 20th-century novels about a hapless young man about town who is constantly getting rescued by his valet, and they’re some of the funniest books ever written.

From Vox

Economists have been warning for months that some jobs won’t come back, especially jobs like hotel check in desk workers, valets, toll booth collectors and some serving jobs that can be automated.

From Washington Post

I pushed us toward the hospital, where a valet stood at her post by the front doors.

From Time

A valet found Hilton's possessions down the road from her property and her driver retrieved them.

From The Daily Beast

In keeping with its Los Angeles origins, Pinkberry is a valet operation.

From The Daily Beast

After a few years, he ended up in Moscow, where he was briefly employed as valet to a wealthy nobleman.

From The Daily Beast

City Prosecutor Michel Valet said a 30-year-old man, his two sons, aged three and six, and another child aged ten, were killed.

From The Daily Beast

The food might be pretty, but you just want the valet to bring your car around already.

From The Daily Beast

Martini was on his mission to Vienna; but another valet was put into the chariot to support the Duke.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Pope was a bachelor, and his valet inconsiderately took the “flu.”

From Project Gutenberg

After ten days of intermittent suffering, during which the valet had felt no apprehension, he had died suddenly.

From Project Gutenberg

As a matter of fact, he burst his way past my scandalized valet into my bedroom and woke me up.

From Project Gutenberg

Lucy Warrender at least had missed the thousand and one delicate attentions of the valet.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• attendant
• servant