valet
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.a person at a hotel, restaurant, or airport who parks your car for you.
n.an employee at a commercial establishment who takes responsibility for parking and retrieving patrons' vehicles.
Simple“We left our keys with the valet at the front of the hotel.”
In context“The upscale restaurant offers complimentary valet service to ensure that guests do not have to search for parking in the crowded downtown district.”
UsageOften used as a modifier, as in 'valet parking'.
Synonymsparking attendant - 02 C1 Advanced
n.a man's personal servant who takes care of his clothes and helps him dress.
n.a male professional attendant responsible for the clothing and personal grooming of his employer.
Simple“In the old movie, the wealthy man asked his valet to prepare his suit.”
In context“The historical drama accurately depicted the role of the valet, who was expected to maintain his employer's wardrobe with meticulous care.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is mostly found in historical contexts or literature; in modern life, the car-parking sense is much more common.
Synonymsmanservantattendant - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to clean the inside and outside of a car very thoroughly.
v.to perform a comprehensive cleaning and detailing of a motor vehicle.
Simple“I need to have my car valeted before I try to sell it.”
In context“The dealership offers a service to valet your vehicle, ensuring the upholstery is steam-cleaned and the exterior is polished to a high shine.”
UsageIn British English, this is a common transitive verb for professional car cleaning.
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to leave your car with an attendant so they can park it for you.
v.to utilize a valet service for the parking of a vehicle.
Simple“We decided to valet the car because we were running late for the show.”
In context“Rather than circling the block for twenty minutes, the couple chose to valet their car at the theater entrance.”
“He served as a White House military valet to the president in his first term, and later joined him as an assistant at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after he left office.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.