valet

C2 Topic:People & Society

US /ˈvæleɪ/ UK /ˈvæleɪ/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like ballet /v/ vs /b/

Freq #10448

Meanings

1

noun
a person that will park and fetch cars for people using a business, restaurant or service

The valet was disappointed with their tips.
2

noun
a manservant who acts as a personal attendant to their employer

My valet will make the arrangements for my room.
3

verb
to serve as a personal attendant to

You do not need to valet for the ambassador.
4

noun
A person employed to clean or park cars.

A HEROIC dad who helped deliver his new-born baby in the back of his car had to explain to his car valet that he wasn't involved in illegal crime.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · a manservant who acts as a... man

4 noun · a person employed to clean... parking attendant

Word family

Derived forms valet-de-chambrevalet-de-place

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

valet parking
a service in which an attendant parks and returns a customer's car

Noun + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

No man is a hero to his valet

Simplified etymology

Valet entered English in the Middle Ages from French valet, “attendant,” a form related to French varlet and to vassal. The family ultimately goes back through medieval Latin vassallus, “retainer,” to a Celtic word. The earliest valets were servants or footmen attending a knight.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French valet, from Old French vaslet, from Medieval Latin *vassellittus, diminutive of Late Latin vassallus (“manservant, domestic, retainer”), from vassus (“servant”), from Gaulish *wassos (“young man, squire”), from Proto-Celtic *wastos (“servant”) (compare Old Irish foss and Welsh gwas). Doublet of varlet.

Topics

People & Society

External links

# valet

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈvæleɪ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈvæleɪ/
**Frequency rank:** 10448

## Meanings
1. a person that will park and fetch cars for people using a business, restaurant or service
2. a manservant who acts as a personal attendant to their employer
3. to serve as a personal attendant to
4. A person employed to clean or park cars.

## Examples
- The valet was disappointed with their tips.
- My valet will make the arrangements for my room.
- You do not need to valet for the ambassador.
- A HEROIC dad who helped deliver his new-born baby in the back of his car had to explain to his car valet that he wasn't involved in illegal crime.

## Derived Forms
- valet-de-chambre
- valet-de-place

## Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French valet, from Old French vaslet, from Medieval Latin *vassellittus, diminutive of Late Latin vassallus (“manservant, domestic, retainer”), from vassus (“servant”), from Gaulish *wassos (“young man, squire”), from Proto-Celtic *wastos (“servant”) (compare Old Irish foss and Welsh gwas). Doublet of varlet.

## Topics
- People & Society

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