maître d'

American  

[mey-ter dee, mey-truh-] / ˌmeɪ tər ˈdi, ˌmeɪ trə- /

plural

maître d's

1. a headwaiter.

2. a steward or butler.

3. the owner or manager of a hotel.

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Etymology

Origin of maître d'

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

Example Sentences

It’s the moment when old-school French — think white tablecloths, heavy sauces and snooty maitre’d’s — faded into the background, allowing nouvelle cuisine and what we now call New American to take its place.

From Los Angeles Times

“After we spoke, I remembered some things. When I saw your mother in the restaurant, I asked the maître d’ to tell her that we’d be departing soon.

From Literature

Safdie sends Marty out to bedevil the world, shipping him to Paris where he gets snippy with a maître d’ who doesn’t speak English and then to Cairo where he steals a chunk of the Great Pyramids.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Literature

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.

From Literature

Related Words

• flight attendant
• hostess
• stewardess
• waiter
• waitress