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"It has become quite a common proverb that in wine there is truth," wrote the 1st-century A.D. Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder. The truth about the word wine is that it goes back to Latin vinum, but it is also a distant relative of the Greek word for wine, which is oinos. Indeed, Latin borrowed from the Greek to create a combining form that means "wine," oeno-. Modern French speakers combined oeno- with -phile (Greek for "lover of") to create oenophile before we adopted it from them in the mid-1800s. Oenophiles are sure to know oenology (now more often spelled enology) as the science of wine making and oenologist (now more often enologist) for one versed in oenology.
Examples of oenophile in a Sentence
Visit California, AFAR Media, 12 Mar. 2025
His dad had trained him as a child oenophile.
—Hazlitt, 28 Feb. 2024
With numerous wineries offering tours and tastings, the region is not only a paradise for oenophiles but also has a vibrant cultural scene, from Renaissance art to local culinary delights.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Upstairs, the second floor is largely taken up by a windowed dining room, which can be converted into a second bedroom, while oenophiles can keep their wine in the adjacent walk-in wine storage.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Oenophile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oenophile. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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