Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A small bar, tavern, or nightclub.
- n. A small, informal restaurant serving wine.
Wiktionary
- n. A small European-style restaurant.
- n. A small bar or pub.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. a small informal restaurant, especially one serving alcoholic beverages.
- n. a nightclub.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a small informal restaurant; serves wine
Etymologies
- 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. (Wiktionary)
- French bistro or bistrot, tavern owner, tavern. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“But just because I am annoyed by the ubiquity of restaurant reviews doesn't mean there is anything actually wrong with the word bistro.”
“Well, OK, I threw in "bistro" because it sounded good but this is really about some of the stuff Bubba does besides BBQ, fried chicken and other Texas "high" cuisine.”
“Eat dinner at Chartier, an authentic Paris bistro from the turn of the century.”
What to Do in Paris / Que faire a Paris? - French Word-A-Day
“This French-German bistro is Berlin 's version of Michael' s in New York.”
“But these days, this popular Second City bistro is anything but first rate …”
Every Episode of “Kitchen Nightmares” In One Convenient Blog Post | Best Week Ever
“And if you ask me, the nicest time to sit in a cozy bistro is when the snow is whirling outside.”
“The authorities would have one believe that going to a bistro is like heading to boot camp: "Make sure you get a good night's sleep," Date Like a Man advises.”
“When the Chinese chain P.F. Chang's, a frozen meal delivery service, and a complex computer program all use the word bistro to describe themselves, you know just how far the word has strayed from its origins, on virtually every urban street corner in France.”
“Her menu aims higher than the word bistro suggests but includes many dishes you might expect such as escargots, onion soup, bouillabaisse, daube of beef, rack of lamb with thyme-scented jus and tarte Tatin.”
“We had made reservations, in advance, to dine at each of the four no-surcharge specialty restaurants on the ship: the Italian-themed Toscana, the Polo Grill steakhouse, Asian-fusion-themed Red Ginger, and at the signature Jacques Pepin French bistro Pepin is executive culinary director of Oceania.”
The Huffington Post: Dr. Irene S. Levine: Cruising the Mediterranean: A Speed Date on Oceania Marina
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘bistro’.
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Programming Languages
The last time someone tried this theme, it was a closed list with only two words; time to make amends. Scripting languages, etc. are also fair game...
c, c++, java, pascal, delphi, python, perl, lisp, algol, cobol, ada, apl and 121 more...
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Loanwords
Since English is littered with loanwords, everything could conceivably end up here. But there is a distinct feeling associated with these.. maybe they're young additions to the English language; I ...
iceberg, fjord, firth, abbey, abyss, anorak, apartheid, assassin, avalanche, avocado, balaclava, banana and 104 more...
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Review
Words to study and become more familiar with.
phatic, tontine, backronym, polyptoton, fissiparous, deus ex machina, orrery, prolly, mad props, snog, oubliette, copyleft and 101 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, B
bloviate, bejesus, brouhaha, behoove, bodacious, bamboozle, banshee, bub, bolus, blob, bubbly, bleb and 414 more...
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Clearinghouse
For stuff to simply reside.
calcar, pinion, espadrille, antipodes, peregrine, cormorant, tanager, vireo, farrago, undervest, passerine, oscine and 881 more...
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Amusing words
interesting words
bonce, furcate, tapioca, tillage, desalinate, garish, litmus, roadhog, azoic, haberdasher, imbroglio, polliwog and 802 more...
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junestag's Words
postmodernism, cat, fish, rabbit, dell, coffee, elearning, mazda, php, mysql, flash, blogger and 755 more...
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gorgonglare's list
the best
zeppelin, ion, laconic, serendipity, cataract, saturnine, syzygy, cinnabar, bistro, lithium, paroxysm, scion and 694 more...
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GRE uncommon
patronage, expletive, exhort, exegesis, execrable, excommunicate, evince, escarpment, ersatz, ergo, epoxy, snare and 1202 more...
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All dressed up and no place to go
another toybox where I can put words I want to play with later.
toybox, excrescence, greengrocer, sequin, gehenna, ingenuous, disingenuous, cavil, ingenius, exsanguination, pictograph, postulate and 31 more...
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Asativum's Words
tatterdemalion, truthiness, eldritch, gemütlich, aa, pahoehoe, uffish, beamish, but, zymurgy, tarnation, malapropism and 59 more...
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You Are Where You Eat
diner, brasserie, rotisserie, bistro, cafeteria, canteen, grillroom, steakhouse, teahouse, cafe, chophouse, greasy spoon and 22 more...
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Places For Eating And Drinking
slap-bang, bistro, speakeasy, tavern, brasserie, cafe, bar, restaurant, osteria, diner, shebeen, trattoria and 6 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for bistro.
super-sdb The Russian word for fast is ?????? (which roughly equates to "bistro"). But this account of the etymology is not to do with the service being faster - almost the opposite. When the Russians occupied Paris in 1814, soldiers would sit at tables in the cafes and shout "bistro!" at the waiters to try and get served quicker.
Although it's quite possible that the Russian soldiers behaved in that way, it's unlikely that this is in fact the origin of the word in French, as there is no recorded use of the word bistro in the French language until 70 years later, in 1884.
Jun 26, 2009
look_it_up_family A friend told me the word "bistro" comes from the Russian word for quick or fast. The implication is that the food at a bistro is served more quickly than in a restaurant. Although my Russian dictionary does have a similar looking word, I am dubious about the etymology. Apr 18, 2009
asativum Aha! One of the most interesting kinds of etymology. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Dec 18, 2006
seanahan That etymology is disputed. Bistro at Wikipedia Dec 16, 2006
asativum From the Russian for "fast," or so I've always heard, which the French adopted for a place to get a quick bite to eat. Dec 16, 2006