sommelier

[suhm-uhl-yey, saw-muh-lyey]

noun

plural

sommeliers 

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

sommelier

/ ˈsʌməlˌjeɪ /

noun

1. a wine steward in a restaurant or hotel

Word History and Origins

Origin of sommelier¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sommelier¹

French: butler, via Old French from Old Provençal saumalier pack-animal driver, from Late Latin sagma a packsaddle, from Greek

Example Sentences

The Mather has bourbon clubs and wine clubs with mixologists and sommeliers on staff.

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The Mather has bourbon clubs and wine clubs with mixologists and sommeliers on staff.

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H2O is the stuff of life, but for several decades, water producers and sommeliers have been working to make it something more: the stuff of taste.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The snobbish sommelier is a relic from the past—a figure from a less-enlightened time in wine.

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She has gone on to judge awards, host retreats, and work as an olive oil sommelier, and says she is busier now than ever.

Read more on BBC