sommelier

noun

som·​me·​lier ˌsə-məl-ˈyā 

plural sommeliers ˌsə-məl-ˈyā(z) 

: a waiter in a restaurant who has charge of wines and their service : a wine steward

Examples of sommelier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Frenchie's Owner Morgan Gray, a sommelier who has worked in the wine and hospitality industry for years, said downtown Santa Rosa offered the right mix of affordability and character for her first small business. —Kenny Choi, CBS News, 23 June 2026

The vast majority of the staff, from servers and sommeliers to porters and guides, hail from the surrounding area and evangelize for the Eastern Tennessee way of life. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 June 2026

The awards honor bakers, sommeliers, chefs, and other restaurant workers who are defining the way forward for the hospitality industry. —Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 June 2026

Remy Loet, the restaurant's sommelier, sets out wine glasses on a table before the start of dinner service at Aria on June 5, 2026. —Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 16 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French soumelier official charged with transportation of supplies, from Old French, pack animal driver, probably alteration of *sommerier, from somier pack animal, from Medieval Latin saugmarius, from Late Latin sagma packsaddle — more at sumpter

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

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