headwaiter

[hed-wey-ter]

noun

1. a person in charge of waiters, busboys, etc., in a restaurant or dining car.

Other Word Forms

• subheadwaiter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of headwaiter¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; head + waiter

Example Sentences

He didn’t get the starring role but he did get other movie parts, often playing … a headwaiter.

From Los Angeles Times

Cecil, the headwaiter, scanned up and down the yardsticks for somewhere to seat us.

From Literature

As GQ’s Tom Carson put it in 2007, “He’s shrewd, he’s virile, he’s merry, and the camera loves him with the devotion of a headwaiter rushing over to light a billionaire’s cigar.”

From New York Times

James Oliver Gibson was born in Atlanta on April 1, 1934, to a hotel headwaiter and a homemaker.

From Washington Post

During the trial, Mr. Schettino admitted that he had committed an “imprudence” when he decided to sail near the island of Giglio at high speed to greet the family of the ship’s headwaiter.

From New York Times

Related Words

• server 
• waitperson 
• waitress