valet

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

See synonyms for valet on Thesaurus.com

noun

a male servant who attends to the personal needs of his male employer, as by taking care of clothing or the like; manservant.
a man who is employed for cleaning and pressing, laundering, and similar services for patrons of a hotel, passengers on a ship, etc.

an attendant who parks cars for patrons at a hotel, restaurant, etc.
a stand or rack for holding coats, hats, etc.

verb (used with or without object),val·et·ed, val·et·ing.

to serve as a valet.

Origin of valet

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

Other words from valet

val·et·less, adjective
un·val·et·ed, adjective

Words that may be confused with valet

valet , valid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use valet in a sentence

The stoppage was observed by 140 union members, according to the Daily Telegraph including gardeners, waiters, cooks and valets.
Engulfed by Scandal, Could The Spanish Royal Family Fall? | Tom Sykes | April 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Gave thousands of dollars to the valets and doormen at the hotel.
Sunshine: Florida’s Fraught Relationship With the Truth | Jim DeFede | March 17, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
And in case of dispute, who would not back the valets-de-chambre against the historian?
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
These men are called, sometimes commissioners and sometimes valets de place, and in their way they are very useful.
Rollo in Holland | Jacob Abbott
Male house-servants, by the way, and men's valets, seem to me quite out of harmony with the domestic traditions of this land.
Thirty Years in Australia | Ada Cambridge

Wilkins's provided valets for emergencies, but obviously it expected visitors to bring their own valets in addition.
The Regent | E. Arnold Bennett
Most of these had been occasioned by the indignant valets, who, on seeing their masters wounded, had rushed in to defend them.
History of the Rise of the Huguenots | Henry Baird

British Dictionary definitions for valet

valet

/ (ˈvælɪt, ˈvæleɪ) /

noun

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

verb-ets, -eting or -eted

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

Origin of valet

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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