garçon

Garçon is a French noun with multiple distinct senses. The primary meanings are “boy” and “young man.” In historical usage, it also referred to a male servant or apprentice, especially in households, workshops, or urban settings. The word is traced to Old French garçon, with an uncertain ultimate origin, but commonly linked to Germanic or Frankish roots related to youth or male status.

In modern French, gaŗon can denote a male child or adolescent. When used to mean “waiter,” it appears in informal speech and some signs or jokes, but many speakers consider it outdated or impolite in service contexts. In formal settings, staff are typically addressed as “serveur” (male) or “serveuse” (female), or politely as “monsieur.”

In English-language usage, garç̧on is borrowed to evoke a French restaurant ambience or stereotype of a waiter. It is usually written with the accent and may appear in dialogue, signage, or popular culture. The term can be perceived as quaint or caricatured, and it is less common in contemporary, polite English-language contexts.

The expression garç̧on manqué, literally “missed boy,” is a well-established French loan phrase used to describe a girl or woman who behaves in a boyish or unfeminine manner. The term underscores the gendered history of garçon and its evolving social connotations in both French and English.

See also: serveur/serveuse, gendered language in French, loanwords in English.