sommelier

[ suhm-uhl-yey; French saw-muh-lyey ]

/ ˌsʌm əlˈyeɪ; French sɔ məˈlyeɪ /

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noun, plural som·me·liers

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

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

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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

Words nearby sommelier

somewhile, somewhither, somewise, somite, Somme, sommelier, Sommerfeld, somnambulate, somnambulism, somnambulist, somni-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sommelier in a sentence

A remote sommelier may even engage you through a video chat from your wine list.
Sommeliers have been forced to pivot in the pandemic, and their futures remain uncertain|Dave McIntyre|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
That search led Shanti down several paths, from serving and bartending, to getting certified as a sommelier, to staging in several of the country’s top kitchens.
This Revolutionary Chef Wants to Topple the Table|Shaan Merchant|January 30, 2021|Ozy
Recently launched Virtual With Us hired unemployed sommeliers to conduct tastings for such companies as Johnson & Johnson—as well as for private birthday parties.
8 ways wine will change in 2021|Rachel King|December 28, 2020|Fortune
Noah Pais Bonaparte joined the staff as general manager and sommelier, and Rick Powanda came on board to run the newly built bar program.
As customers and coastlines disappear, a New Orleans chef fights for her community|Dayana Sarkisova|December 17, 2020|Washington Post

From there, she furthered her depth of knowledge as a sommelier at Straight Wharf Restaurant in Nantucket and the award-winning Husk Nashville before moving back out West to head the wine program for F10 Creative in Palm Springs.
Canned wine might have been primed for socializing in the era of social distancing|Rachel King|November 8, 2020|Fortune
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|DAILY BEAST
Over the last year I have dined with our Brown Bag Sommelier and he has prepared some tastings for our dining group.
William Shatner Picks His Favorite Wines|William Shatner|July 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
He had a professional talk with the sommelier while waiting for the soup, then settled down to enjoy his meal.
Deathworld|Harry Harrison
A suave maître d'hôtel bent over us with suggestions for supper, and an attendant sommelier waited by his side.
The Lost Ambassador|E. Phillips Oppenheim
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

British Dictionary definitions for sommelier

sommelier

/ (ˈsʌməlˌjeɪ) /

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