Standard Lemma guide

waitress

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈweɪ.tɹɪs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: W EY1 T R AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A female attendant who serves customers in a restaurant, café, or similar.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a waitress in a cocktail bar.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To work as a waitress.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: action

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a woman waiter

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: waiter, server

Narrower terms: bunny, bunny girl

4

verb

Meaning 4

serve as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I'm waiting on tables at Maxim's

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wait

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: work

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English waiter Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-ih2der. Ancient Greek -ῐᾰ (-ĭă) Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa)bor. Late Latin -issader. Old French -essebor. Middle English -esse English -ess English waitress From waiter + -ess.

Across languages

Translations

94 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: kameriere — female waiter
  • Albanian: kamariere — female waiter
  • Arabic: نَادِلَة (nādila) — female waiter
  • Arabic: جَرْسُونَة (garsōna) — female waiter
  • Arabic: جرسونة (garsōna) — female waiter
  • Armenian: մատուցողուհի (matucʻoġuhi) — female waiter
  • Belarusian: афіцыя́нтка (aficyjántka) — female waiter
  • Belarusian: ке́льнерка (kjélʹnjerka) — female waiter
  • Bulgarian: сервитьо́рка (servitjórka) — female waiter
  • Bulgarian: ке́лнерка (kélnerka) — female waiter
  • Bulgarian: официа́нтка (oficiántka) — female waiter
  • Burmese: စားပွဲထိုး (ca:pwai:htui:) — female waiter
  • Catalan: cambrera — female waiter
  • Chinese Mandarin: 女服務生 /女服务生 (nǚ fúwùshēng) — female waiter
  • Chinese Mandarin: 服務員 /服务员 (fúwùyuán) — female waiter
  • Cornish: servyades — female waiter
  • Czech: číšnice — female waiter
  • Czech: servírka — female waiter
  • Danish: servitrice — female waiter
  • Dutch: serveerster — female waiter
  • Esperanto: kelnerino — female waiter
  • Esperanto: tabloservistino — female waiter
  • Estonian: ettekandja — female waiter
  • Finnish: tarjoilija — female waiter
  • Finnish: tarjoilijatar — female waiter
  • French: serveuse — female waiter
  • Galician: camareira — female waiter
  • Georgian: ოფიციანტი (opicianṭi) — female waiter
  • German: Kellnerin — female waiter
  • Greek: σερβιτόρα (servitóra) — female waiter
  • Hebrew: מֶלְצַרִית (meltsarít) — female waiter
  • Hindi: वेट्रेस (veṭres) — female waiter
  • Hungarian: pincérnő — female waiter
  • Icelandic: þjónn — female waiter
  • Icelandic: gengilbeina — female waiter
  • Ido: tabloservistino — female waiter
  • Ingrian: taritsija — female waiter
  • Irish: banfhreastalaí — female waiter
  • Irish: cailín freastail — female waiter
  • Italian: cameriera — female waiter
  • Japanese: ウェイトレス (weitoresu) — female waiter
  • Japanese: ウエイトレス (ueitoresu) — female waiter
  • Kabuverdianu: enpregada — female waiter
  • Kazakh: даяршы әйел (daärşy äiel) — female waiter
  • Kazakh: даяршы қыз (daärşy qyz) — female waiter
  • Khmer: អ្នកបំរើ (nĕək bɑmraə) — female waiter
  • Khmer: ស្រីបំរើ (srəybɑmrəə) — female waiter
  • Korean: 웨이트리스 (weiteuriseu) — female waiter
  • Kyrgyz: официантка (ofitsiantka) — female waiter
  • Lao: ສາວເສີບ (sāo sœ̄p) — female waiter
  • Latin: administra — female waiter
  • Latvian: viesmīle — female waiter
  • Latvian: oficiante — female waiter
  • Lithuanian: padavėja — female waiter
  • Macedonian: келнерка (kelnerka) — female waiter
  • Macedonian: конобарка (konobarka) — female waiter
  • Mongolian: хоол зөөгч (xool zöögč) — female waiter
  • Mongolian: үйлчлэгч (üjlčlegč) — female waiter
  • Norwegian Bokmål: servitrise — female waiter
  • Norwegian Bokmål: serveringsdame — female waiter
  • Norwegian Bokmål: servitør — female waiter
  • Iranian Persian: پیشْخِدْمَت (pišxedmat) — female waiter
  • Polish: kelnerka — female waiter
  • Portuguese: empregada — female waiter
  • Portuguese: garçonete — female waiter
  • Romanian: chelneriță — female waiter
  • Romanian: ospătăriță — female waiter
  • Russian: официа́нтка (oficiántka) — female waiter
  • Russian: ке́льнерша (kélʹnerša) — female waiter
  • Scottish Gaelic: maighdeann-frithealaidh — female waiter
  • Serbo-Croatian: коноба̀рица — female waiter
  • Serbo-Croatian: услужитељка — female waiter
  • Serbo-Croatian: ке̏лнерица — female waiter
  • Serbo-Croatian: konobàrica — female waiter
  • Serbo-Croatian: uslužiteljka — female waiter
  • Serbo-Croatian: kȅlnerica — female waiter
  • Slovak: servírka — female waiter
  • Slovak: čašníčka — female waiter
  • Slovene: natakarica — female waiter
  • Spanish: camarera — female waiter
  • Spanish: mesera — female waiter
  • Swedish: servitris — female waiter
  • Tajik: пешхизмат (pešxizmat) — female waiter
  • Thai: สาวเสิร์ฟ (sǎao-sə̀əp) — female waiter
  • Turkish: garson — female waiter
  • Turkish: garson kız — female waiter
  • Ukrainian: офіціа́нтка (oficiántka) — female waiter
  • Ukrainian: ке́льнерка (kélʹnerka) — female waiter
  • Urdu: ویٹْریس (veṭres) — female waiter
  • Uzbek: ofitsiantka — female waiter
  • Vietnamese: chị hầu bàn — female waiter
  • Volapük: jibötan — female waiter
  • Yiddish: קעלנערין (kelnerin) — female waiter
  • Yiddish: קעלנערשע (kelnershe) — female waiter
Real reading context

waitress in complete knowledge articles