noun, plural es·ta·mi·nets [es-ta-mee-ne] /ɛs ta miˈnɛ/. French.
- a bistro or small café.
noun
- a small café, bar, or bistro, esp a shabby one
1814, from French, “a café in which smoking is allowed” (17c.), of unknown origin; some suggest a connection to French estamine, a type of open woolen fabric used for making sieves, etc., from Latin stamineus “made of thread.” Or from Walloon stamen “post to which a cow is tied at a feeding trough,” from Proto-Germanic *stamniz (see stem (n.)).