barista

American  

[buh-ris-tuh, -ree-stuh, bah-rees-tah] / bəˈrɪs tə, -ˈri stə, bɑ ris tɑ /

noun

plural

baristas, baristi

1. a person who is specially trained in the making and serving of coffee drinks, as in a coffee bar.

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barista British  

/ bəˈrɪstə /

noun

1. a person who makes and serves coffee in a coffee bar

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Etymology

Origin of barista

First recorded in 1980–85; from Italian: “bartender,” from bar bar ¹ ( def. ) (a loanword from English) + Italian -ista -ist ( def. )

Example Sentences

“The deputy didn’t shoot the barista, so I chalk this up as a win,” another wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

"I gave up my job as a barista because of my son's mental health problems, and this is something that just happened… I was already doing chalkboards and portraits."

From BBC

I learned my barista’s favorite drink before they learned mine, and I now track the status of their foster dog with the devotion of a godparent.

From Salon

In recent years, one barista said he was let go after posting a customer’s intricate, multistep drink order.

From The Wall Street Journal

“He was a barista straight out of the coffee shop. ‘Shine’ is straight off all his Grammys and his big songwriting career.

From Los Angeles Times