waiter

[wey-ter]

noun

1. a person, especially a man, who waits on tables, as in a restaurant.

2. a tray for carrying dishes, a tea service, etc.; salver.

3. a person who waits or awaits.

4. Obsolete.,  an attendant.

verb (used without object)

1. to work or serve as a waiter.

   to waiter in a restaurant.

waiter

/ ˈweɪtə /

noun

1. a man whose occupation is to serve at table, as in a restaurant

2. an attendant at the London Stock Exchange or Lloyd's who carries messages: the modern equivalent of waiters who performed these duties in the 17th-century London coffee houses in which these institutions originated

3. a person who waits

4. a tray or salver on which dishes, etc, are carried

Gender Note

See -person.

Other Word Forms

• waiterless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of waiter¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; wait, -er ¹

Example Sentences

For lefties like me, let the waiter know, and they will bring out silverware that’s angled specifically for us.

Read more on Salon

No strolling waiters in ponchos placing sombreros on unsuspecting diners, no fake mustaches.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The saganaki, set aflame tableside by the waiter, makes for an unforgettable appetizer — and the menu only gets better from there.

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It’s why Tino indulged every customer, both nasty and agreeable, while working his college summers as a bus boy and waiter at Bella Notte, the family restaurant in Pittsburgh known for its shredded pepperoni pizzas.

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And the waiters know him by name, so when he walks in, they go, “Matt!”

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Related Words

• server 
• waitperson 
• waitress