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

The wine list, meanwhile, has been carefully curated by Manning and Noma’s head sommelier, Ava Mees List, and reflects an all-natural, all-California focus, with bottles from Rajat Parr’s Phelan Farm, Llewelyn Wines out of Sonoma County, and Mendocino’s Dorsal Wines, to name a few. —Emily Wilson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 Jan. 2026

All the while, champagne arrives from a gliding sommelier’s trolley—Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, even Dom Pérignon by the glass. —Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026

There’s also the underground wine bar, CaveSociety, where members can sample global wines while learning about viticulture from sommeliers. —Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 18 Jan. 2026

The diary of a water sommelier. —Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 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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