sommelier

American  

[suhm-uhl-yey, saw-muh-lyey] / ˌsʌm əlˈjeɪ, sɔ məˈljeɪ /

noun

sommeliers plural

1. a waiter, as in a club or restaurant, who is in charge of wines.

---

sommelier British  

/ ˈsʌməlˌjeɪ /

noun

1. a wine steward in a restaurant or hotel

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sommeliers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sommelier

1920–25; < French, Middle French, dissimilated form of *sommerier, derivative of sommier one charged with arranging transportation, equivalent to somme burden (< Late Latin sagma horse load < Greek ságma covering, pack saddle) + -ier -ier ²

Explanation

If you want to impress your dining companions at a fancy restaurant, be sure to refer to the special waiter who serves wine as a sommelier. You're unlikely to see a sommelier unless you eat at an expensive restaurant where there is a carefully selected menu of wine chosen by the sommelier to complement the food. She will also serve and pour the wine into glasses, and often wait for the diners to taste and approve of it. In French, the word sommelier literally means "butler," and it's been used since the 19th century to mean "wine steward" or "wine waiter."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sommelier sommeliers

Route 1, is known for an impressive list of cheeses, international wines chosen by an in-house sommelier and traditional Spanish dishes like bacon-wrapped chorizo-stuffed dates, garlic shrimp and three different paellas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

In a tasting room lined with elegant glass bottles from across the globe, water sommelier Nico Pieterse extolled the qualities and even "emotional connection" of a resource many South Africans take straight from the tap.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

He also became a certified sommelier and lecturer who teaches a community education course on the art and science of winemaking.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026

Barbara Wong, head sommelier at Le Bernardin in New York, agreed that solo diners—and drinkers—are common.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 17, 2026

The sommelier brought the beer, tall, beaded on the outside of the steins, and cold.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

It led him to become one of only two certified water sommeliers in South Africa and fewer than 100 worldwide, he said.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

And so I turned to a few top sommeliers whose professionalism I’ve experienced firsthand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025

With just a sniff and a sip, trained sommeliers can often tell what region a wine came from: Douro in Portugal, Barossa in Australia, Napa or Sonoma in California.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 21, 2023

The 35-seat bar has been a hit with a lot of wine geeks along with sommeliers and other industry workers.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 5, 2023

Now, the group has more than 100 members — from sommeliers to vintners.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2023