Wordwyrt

waiter

/ˈweɪtə/WAY-tur
/ˈweɪtɚ/WAY-tur

Meaningone who waits

Common meaning: a person who serves at tables

Journey through time

  1. Old Frenchwaiter‘to watch’source
  2. Middle Englishwaitensource
  3. Englishwait‘to stay till something happens’
  4. Englishformed in English from waitwaiter‘a person who serves at tables’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from wait + -er.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), WAIT, p.693 · scan

Source words

  • waiter Old French · source word “to watch”

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