cantinière
The French word for dinner lady is cantinière.
The term refers to a woman employed to serve food.
Meaning: woman employed to serve food (noun)
Which one should you use?
Dame de la cantine is an informal way to refer to a dinner lady, whereas Agent de cantine and Agent de restauration scolaire are more formal terms used to describe an employee responsible for serving meals or involved in school catering services.
Did you know?
- In the 19th century, cantinières were often the wives or partners of soldiers and played a vital role in providing medical care and emotional support on the battlefield.
- The English word 'canteen' is actually a loanword from the French cantine, which originally referred to the provisions of a military unit.
- While cantinière is used for a food server, the word for a typical cafeteria is cantine, meaning a 'cellar' or 'storeroom' in its oldest form.
Examples in context
- La cantinière prépare le repas pour les enfants.The dinner lady prepares the meal for the children.
- Une cantinière travaille à la cantine de l'école.A dinner lady works in the school canteen.
- J'ai vu la cantinière servir la soupe.I saw the dinner lady serving the soup.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are talking about their school staff.
- GabrielEst-ce que la cantinière est sympa ?Is the dinner lady nice?
- ChloéOui, elle est très gentille avec nous.Yes, she is very kind to us.
- GabrielElle prépare de bons plats, alors ?She makes good dishes, then?
- ChloéAbsolument, on adore son travail.Absolutely, we love her work.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cantinière, CC BY-SA 4.0.
