maître d'

noun

maî·​tre d' ˌmā-trə-ˈdē 

ˌme-,

-tər-

variants or maitre d'

plural maître d's or maitre d's ˌmā-trə-ˈdēz 

ˌme-,

-tər-

: maître d'hôtel, headwaiter

Did you know?

Maître d' is short for maître d'hôtel, which comes from French and literally means "master of the house." Maître d'hôtel was used in English for a head butler or steward of a household before it referred to the head of a dining-room staff. For the record, the plural of maître d'hôtel is maîtres d'hôtel whereas the plural of maître d' is maître d's.

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined above

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