sommelier

[suhm-uh l-yey; French saw-muh-lyey]

noun, plural som·me·liers

[suhm-uh l-yeyz; French saw-muh-lyey] /ˌsʌm əlˈyeɪz; French sɔ məˈlyeɪ/.

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

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 -ier²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for sommelier

Contemporary Examples of sommelier

A sommelier told me that his name for the family was “Rudinelli.”
Napa’s Earthquake Is Not The Only Thing Shaking The Vineyards
Clive Irving
August 31, 2014
Sommelier Jordan Salcito on why these are the ultimate wine books.
'The Drops of God': Wine Books You Will Actually Want to Read
Jordan Salcito
January 19, 2014
In the American sommelier community, until very recently, South African wines have remained largely an afterthought.
Drink Like Nelson Mandela: South Africa’s Exciting New Wine
Jordan Salcito
December 14, 2013
You want the good stuff, and you want to sound like a sommelier when describing it to your hopelessly pedestrian company.
An Idiot’s Guide to New Year’s Wine
Winston Ross
December 28, 2012
Guests enter the hall and check their coats at the coat check and check their wines with a sommelier.
World's Most Extravagant BYOB
Sophie Menin
February 7, 2011

Historical Examples of sommelier

She caught the hand with which he was signalling to the sommelier.
The Glimpses of the Moon
Edith Wharton
And when the sommelier attempted to help him with the wine, he was elbowed vigorously.
Visionaries
James Huneker
He had a professional talk with the sommelier while waiting for the soup, then settled down to enjoy his meal.
Deathworld
Harry Harrison

British Dictionary definitions for sommelier

sommelier

noun

a wine steward in a restaurant or hotel

Word Origin for sommelier

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sommelier

wine waiter, 1889, from French sommelier "a butler," originally an officer who had charge of provisions (13c.), from somme "pack" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *salma, corruption of sagma "a pack-saddle," later the pack on the saddle (Isidore of Seville). Also borrowed in 16c.