waitron
English
Etymology 1
Coined as a gender-neutral substitute for waiter and waitress, this is one of the few words with the gender-neutral suffix -ron[1] to have seen much use, probably re-inforced by rhyming with patron.[1][2] (Some references instead analyse it as using the same "machinelike" suffix -tron[2] as waitron (“mechanical waiter”), but more likely it uses -ron like laundron[1] and like waiter and waitress use -er/-ress not *-ter/*-tress.)
Noun
waitron (plural waitrons)
- (nonstandard, rare) A waiter or waitress.
- 1992, May, Julian, Jack the Bodiless, Knopf, →ISBN, OL 1567595M:
- With adolescent perversity, he turned up his nose at all of the elegant French items on the Closerie's menu and scandalized the waitron by demanding corned-beef hash—fried extra crisp—with poached eggs, a slice of fresh papaya with lime, banana-walnut bread, and a pitcher of Mexican chocolate.
- 2010 May 10, Cowen, Sam, “Jo'burg and London, relatively speaking”, in Daily Telegraph, ISSN 0307-1235:
- Come back here with your cut glass, posh English accent and waitrons everywhere will melt at your feet.
- For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:waitron.
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Synonyms
- waitperson
- waitstaff (collective)
- server
References
- Paul McFedries, Word Spy: The Word Lover's Guide to Modern Culture (2004, →ISBN)
- “waitron” in Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary.
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