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bis·tro

(bēstrō, bĭstrō)

n. pl. bis·tros

1. A small, informal restaurant serving wine.

2. A small bar, tavern, or nightclub.

[French, from 19th-century French slang bistro, bistrot, tavern owner, small bar or tavern (often having a space for dancing), possibly alteration (influenced by 19th-century French slang mastro, shortening of mastroquet, tavern owner, probably from Dutch meesterke, diminuitive of meester, master, boss, brewmaster) of 19th-century French slang bistringue, a sort of popular dance, cheap bad liquor, variant of earlier French bastringue, music for the quadrille, of unknown origin.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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