Etymologically
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restaurant

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 02:39. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁɛs.tɔ.ʁɑ̃/[1]

Forms

restaurant m (plural restaurants)[1]

Etymology

It is the present participle of restaurer “to restore one's strength with food”, used as a noun;[2][1] Old Occitan had restaurant (“fortifying drink”) from 1507.[2][3] The verb was borrowed from Latin restaurō (“to restore”), Old French having first used the more French form restorer.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In a letter of Marguerite d'Angoulême of 1521 a restaurant is food or a remedy that restores one's strength;[2] in her Heptaméron a character is given nothing to eat but restaurants and the best meats.[5]

Semantic evolution

The modern sense came from the establishments that sold restoring broths, called restaurants: Bloch and Wartburg and Littré, after Fournier, date the first to 1765, opened in Paris by one Boulanger, who served only broths, poultry and eggs, not the stews of the traiteurs.[4][2][6] His sign parodied the Gospel: Venite ad me, omnes qui stomacho laboratis, et ego vos restaurabo “Come to me, all you whose stomachs labour, and I will restore you”.[4] The GLLF dates the sense “eating house” to 1771 and the TLFi to Boiste's dictionary of 1803; restaurateur in the sense of the keeper of a restaurant is recorded from 1771.[6][2][4] The old sense “restorative food” went out of use after the 18th century.[7] It is the second element of compounds such as wagon-restaurant (1873) and hôtel-restaurant, and is shortened familiarly to resto or restau.[6][7]

English took restaurant by 1806, first in a French context.[8]

Timeline

  • 1507 – Old Occitan restaurant “fortifying drink”.[2]
  • 1521 – Restaurant “restorative food” in Marguerite d'Angoulême.[2]
  • 1765 – Boulanger opens the first restaurant in Paris.[4][2]
  • 1771 – Used for an eating house;[6] restaurateur for its keeper.[6][4]
  • 1803 – Boiste records the modern sense.[2]
  • 1806 – English takes up the word.[8]
  • 1873 – Wagon-restaurant “dining car” is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A restaurant, an establishment where meals are served for payment: dîner au restaurant.[7][9]
  2. The part of an establishment where meals are served: le restaurant de l'hôtel.[6]
  3. In apposition: having a restaurant: voiture restaurant.[9]
  4. Restaurant universitaire: a canteen for students.[9][7]
  5. (obsolete) Restorative food or drink, a tonic.[2][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)