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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
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2025
For The Union-Tribune As every oenophile knows, wines that convey hints of smoke or woodiness are generally the result of winemaking techniques, particularly oak aging.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
Especially lovely is the Argos Inn, an 1831 mansion with Dalí prints and two cocktail bars; discerning oenophiles will also love the design-forward Lake House on Canandaigua, which opened in 2020 on the site of a former motel with a spa and outdoor barrel saunas.
—AFAR Media, 14 July 2025
However, the current vintage delivers vibrancy, finesse, and tension, transporting oenophiles and novices alike to the ancient lava flows of Nun’s Canyon Vineyard in the Mayacamas Mountains, truly a sense of place.
—Michelle Williams, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Oenophile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oenophile. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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