means A person, traditionally a man, whose job is to take orders and serve food and drink to customers at a restaurant or café.

from Straight from the verb 'wait,' in its older sense of 'to attend upon, to serve' — the same notion in 'lady-in-waiting' and 'wait upon someone.' That sense traces back through Old North French 'waitier' (to watch, attend) to a Germanic root meaning 'to watch, be vigilant,' a cousin of 'wake' and 'watch.' So the waiter isn't idly waiting — etymologically they're the one keeping a watchful eye on you, ready to attend. The dining-room sense, paired with 'waitress,' settled into English by the 17th century.