bistro

See also: Bistro, bistró, bistrò, and bistrô

English

WOTD – 29 July 2009
At the Bistro, painting by Jean Beraud

Etymology

Attested from c. 1920, from the French bistro(t) with the original meaning "proprietor of a tavern" (1880s), of Unknown origin, presumably regional French dialect.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈbiːstɹəʊ/, /ˈbɪstɹəʊ/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈbiːstɹoʊ/, /ˈbɪstɹoʊ/

Noun

bistro (plural bistros)

  1. A small restaurant.
  2. A small bar or pub.

Synonyms

  • See also Thesaurus:pub

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

See also

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology

From French bistro.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈb̥isd̥ʁo]

Noun

bistro c (singular definite bistroen, plural indefinite bistroer)

  1. A bistro.

Inflection

Finnish

Noun

bistro

  1. bistro

Declension

Inflection of bistro (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative bistro bistrot
genitive bistron bistrojen
partitive bistroa bistroja
illative bistroon bistroihin
singular plural
nominative bistro bistrot
accusative nom. bistro bistrot
gen. bistron
genitive bistron bistrojen
partitive bistroa bistroja
inessive bistrossa bistroissa
elative bistrosta bistroista
illative bistroon bistroihin
adessive bistrolla bistroilla
ablative bistrolta bistroilta
allative bistrolle bistroille
essive bistrona bistroina
translative bistroksi bistroiksi
instructive — bistroin
abessive bistrotta bistroitta
comitative — bistroineen

French

Alternative forms

Etymology

The legend of the origin of the word due to the Russian occupation in 1814.

The etymology is unclear, and is presumed to come from a regional word: bistro, bistrot, bistingo, or bistraud, a word in the Poitou dialect which means a "lesser servant." Another offered is bistouille or bistrouille, a colloquial term from the northern area of France,[1] which is a mixture of brandy and coffee; precisely the kind of beverage that could be served at a bistro. The first recorded use of the word appears in 1884,[2], and again in 1892 ("bistrot").

A popular folk etymology of the word claims that it originated among Russian troops who occupied Paris following the Napoleonic Wars. In taverns they would shout the Russian бы́стро (býstro, “quickly”) to the waiters, so that "bistro" took on the meaning of a place where food was served quickly.[3] This etymology is rejected, due to the 69 year gap between the proposed origin and the first attestation. In Russia restaurants are not traditionally called bistros, and the concept of the fast-serving restaurant as used in Russian is seen as a French import, unrelated to the supposed Russian origin.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bis.tʁo/
  • Audio(file)

Noun

bistro m (plural bistros)

  1. bistro

References

  1. ↑ Glenn Randall Mack, Asele Surina. Food Culture In Russia And Central Asia. →ISBN. Page 154.
  2. ↑ Robert K. Barnhart. The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology. →ISBN. Page 94.
  3. ↑ Scarborough, Jack. The Origins of Cultural Differences and Their Impact on Management. →ISBN. Page 172; Joseph, Nadine. Passport France. World Trade Press, 1997. Page 84.

Further reading

Italian

Noun

bistro m (plural bistri)

  1. bistre

Verb

bistro

  1. first-person singular present indicative of bistrare

Verb

bistro

  1. first-person singular present indicative of bistrare

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From French bistro.

Noun

bìstrō m (Cyrillic spelling бѝстро̄)

  1. bistro

Declension

Spanish

Noun

bistro m (plural bistros)

  1. bistro
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