valet
valet Lexical Profile
valet Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An attendant employed by a hotel, restaurant, or venue to park and retrieve patrons' cars.
"We handed our keys to the valet at the restaurant entrance."
A man's personal male attendant who is responsible for his wardrobe and personal appearance.
"The duke's valet laid out his evening suit before dinner."
A hotel employee who performs personal services for guests, such as pressing or cleaning clothes.
"He called the hotel valet to have his wrinkled shirts pressed before the morning conference."
A freestanding rack or stand used for holding a suit, clothes, and personal accessories.
"He draped his jacket over the wooden valet in the corner of the bedroom."
• verb
To park or have one's vehicle parked by a professional attendant at a hotel, restaurant, or event.
"Since street parking was impossible to find downtown, we decided to valet the car."
British To clean, vacuum, and polish the interior and exterior of a motor vehicle professionally.
"She had her car professionally valeted before putting it up for sale."
To act as a personal attendant to a man, especially by caring for his clothing.
"He valeted for the ambassador for nearly twenty years."
Word Nuance & Usage
The word can be pronounced either with a silent final 't' (/ˈvæleɪ/ or /væˈleɪ/), which is standard in North America, or with the 't' sounded (/ˈvælɪt/), which remains common in traditional British English.
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from French 'valet', from Old French 'vaslet' (meaning 'squire' or 'young nobleman'), ultimately of Celtic origin and sharing the same linguistic root as 'varlet' and 'vassal'.