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

For decades, access to the U.S. wine market—which surpassed $107 billion in sales in 2023—meant one thing for foreign wineries: find an importer, lock in a distributor and build brand presence through shelf space and sommelier buzz. —Anthony Zhang, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025

Award-winning sommelier Jacob Kocemba first looked to tea as a solution to a pairing quandary. —Camille Berry, Vogue, 29 Apr. 2025

The Economy Plus Version Pico 2 Bottle Carrier $125 Panier Chang, along with sommelier André Mack, are on the founding board for Panier. —Editors Of Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 May 2025

However, Delilah, helmed by lead sommelier Cristie Norman, changed the game. —Melinda Sheckells, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025

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

Video

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