maître d'hôtel
[ mey-ter doh-tel, mey-truh; French me-truhdoh-tel ]
/ ˌmeɪ tər doʊˈtɛl, ˌmeɪ trə; French ˌmɛ trədoʊˈtɛl /
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noun, plural maî·tres d'hô·tel [mey-terz doh-tel, mey-truhz; French me-truhdoh-tel]. /ˌmeɪ tərz doʊˈtɛl, ˌmeɪ trəz; French ˌmɛ trədoʊˈtɛl/.
a headwaiter.
a steward or butler.
the owner or manager of a hotel.
Cooking. a sauce of melted butter, minced parsley, and lemon juice or vinegar.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Also called maître d' (for defs. 1-3) .
Origin of maître d'hôtel
First recorded in 1530–40; from French: “master of (the) house”
Words nearby maître d'hôtel
Maistre, mai tai, Maitland, maître d', maître de ballet, maître d'hôtel, maître d'hôtel butter, Maitreya, maîtrise, maize, Maj.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use maître d'hôtel in a sentence
At least, a little time after his return he sent his maitre d' hotel, to settle my account, and give me some money.
The Confessions of J. J. Rousseau, Complete|Jean Jacques Rousseau
British Dictionary definitions for maître d'hôtel
maître d'hôtel
/ (ˌmɛtrə dəʊˈtɛl, French mɛtrə dotɛl) /
noun plural maîtres d'hôtel
a head waiter or steward
the manager or owner of a hotel
Word Origin for maître d'hôtel
C16: from French: master of (the) hotel
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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