bistro
English
Etymology
Attested from c. 1920, from the French bistro(t) with the original meaning "proprietor of a tavern" (1880s), of Unknown origin, presumably regional French dialect.
Pronunciation
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:pub
Translations
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
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See also
Danish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈb̥isd̥ʁo]
Inflection
| common gender |
Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | bistro | bistroen | bistroer | bistroerne |
| genitive | bistros | bistroens | bistroers | bistroernes |
Esperanto
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbistro/
- Hyphenation: bis‧tro
- Rhymes: -istro
Finnish
Declension
| Inflection of bistro (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | bistro | bistrot | |
| genitive | bistron | bistrojen | |
| partitive | bistroa | bistroja | |
| illative | bistroon | bistroihin | |
| singular | plural | ||
| nominative | bistro | bistrot | |
| accusative | nom. | bistro | bistrot |
| gen. | bistron | ||
| genitive | bistron | bistrojen | |
| partitive | bistroa | bistroja | |
| inessive | bistrossa | bistroissa | |
| elative | bistrosta | bistroista | |
| illative | bistroon | bistroihin | |
| adessive | bistrolla | bistroilla | |
| ablative | bistrolta | bistroilta | |
| allative | bistrolle | bistroille | |
| essive | bistrona | bistroina | |
| translative | bistroksi | bistroiksi | |
| instructive | — | bistroin | |
| abessive | bistrotta | bistroitta | |
| comitative | — | bistroineen | |
French
Alternative forms
Etymology
The etymology is unclear, and is presumed to come from a regional word: bistro, bistrot, bistingo, or bistraud, a word in the Poitou dialect which means a "lesser servant." Another offered is bistouille or bistrouille, a colloquial term from the northern area of France,[1] which is a mixture of brandy and coffee; precisely the kind of beverage that could be served at a bistro. The first recorded use of the word appears in 1884,[2], and again in 1892 ("bistrot").
A popular folk etymology of the word claims that it originated among Russian troops who occupied Paris following the Napoleonic Wars. In taverns they would shout the Russian бы́стро (býstro, “quickly”) to the waiters, so that "bistro" took on the meaning of a place where food was served quickly.[3] This etymology is rejected, due to the 69 year gap between the proposed origin and the first attestation. In Russia restaurants are not traditionally called bistros, and the concept of the fast-serving restaurant as used in Russian is seen as a French import, unrelated to the supposed Russian origin.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bis.tʁo/
Audio (file)
References
- Glenn Randall Mack, Asele Surina. Food Culture In Russia And Central Asia. →ISBN. Page 154.
- Robert K. Barnhart. The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology. →ISBN. Page 94.
- Scarborough, Jack. The Origins of Cultural Differences and Their Impact on Management. →ISBN. Page 172; Joseph, Nadine. Passport France. World Trade Press, 1997. Page 84.
Further reading
- “bistro” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Italian
Serbo-Croatian
Declension
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | bistro | bistroi |
| genitive | bistroa | bistroa |
| dative | bistrou | bistroima |
| accusative | bistro | bistroe |
| vocative | bistro | bistroi |
| locative | bistrou | bistroima |
| instrumental | bistroom | bistroima |