maître d'

[mey-ter dee, mey-truh-]

plural

maître d's 

1. a headwaiter.

2. a steward or butler.

3. the owner or manager of a hotel.

Word History and Origins

Origin of maître d'¹

First recorded in 1815–25; shortening of maître d'hôtel

Example Sentences

Try as she might, Penelope had not been able to make the maître d’ at the Fern Court understand that the reservation was not under the name Osmunda Regalis, but that she was intending to meet someone near the Osmunda regalis.

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With a flourish, the maître d’ held back an armful of foliage so that Penelope could enter the leafy, secluded room.

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As is typical of the show, the Big Picture calamity is balanced by the Small Moment of humanizing tenderness: Grace, alone with Kate and about to be sworn in to the presidency, moans that her clothes make her look “like a maître d’.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

While seeking acting jobs, the trade publication reported, Tana started as a dishwasher at the Villa Capri restaurant in Hollywood, before eventually becoming the maitre d’ at La Scala in Beverly Hills.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Flanked by tuxedoed servers and the maître d’, she announced the founder’s death, mostly silencing the crowded dining room.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• flight attendant 
• hostess 
• stewardess 
• waiter 
• waitress