Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A restaurant employee who orders and maintains the wines sold in the restaurant and usually has extensive knowledge about wine and food pairings.
Wiktionary
- n. A wine steward. The person at an expensive restaurant who keeps the wine cellar and advises guests on a choice of wines.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a waiter who manages wine service in a hotel or restaurant
Etymologies
- From the French sommelier (Wiktionary)
- French, from Old French, officer in charge of provisions, pack-animal driver, alteration of *sommerier, from sommier, beast of burden, from Vulgar Latin *saumārius; see summer2. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The word sommelier (pronounced some-el-YAY) is derived from the Vulgar Latin word for "beast of burden," which may seem at odds with the image of a well-dressed man (or woman) proffering a wine list to a table of guests.”
The Wall Street Journal: May I Recommend: Lessons of Great Sommeliers
“But if I did, I would be sure to throw in the word sommelier, because it does sound impressive.”
“Now a sommelier is trying to break food-wine pairing down to a molecular level.”
“The Hog filled in the other hands before he called the sommelier:”
“And they point out that negotiating with the (wine) sommelier is now not only acceptable but encouraged at David Burke’s restaurants: diners are given a list of “auction selections” where they can bid.”
Pawning, haggling, patches, book signing – tasting sized pours | Dr Vino's wine blog
“In this model, it’s not really important if the sommelier is out on the floor selling you the wine, unless you’ve brought your own you are buying what he or she has selected for you.”
Does the Wine Advocate buy over $700,000 worth of wine a year? | Dr Vino's wine blog
“But right now, there’s a restaurant in NYC where the head sommelier is clearing out his inventory.”
Bargains on restaurant wine lists – NYC edition | Dr Vino's wine blog
“When the good old boy finally figures out that his sommelier is a woman, he will often feel the need to show off his wine erudition.”
“I always get a kick out of this "new" language I have learned for my job and affectionately call my sommelier certificate, my GED, my Geek Enology Degree, in which Wine as a second language is a requirement, as well the Art of Spitting 101.”
“Captain called the sommelier over and ordered wine for the table, which is apparently the custom when you sit with Captain—free booze, whoo-hoo!”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘sommelier’.
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Gene Wolfe
Please contribute your favorite words from any of Gene Wolfe’s books to this prize-winning list.
In case you come across words in this list which are too commonplace to fit in, please ...gallipot, roost, badelaire, oblesque, execration, dhole, amschaspand, arctother, chalcedony, penitence, asimi, autarch and 839 more...
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Another 250 Spelling Words
Another range of words from the intermediate to the advanced speller's level.
cherimoya, parthenogenesis, sommelier, bupkis, kichel, voulge, indivisibility, retiarius, sewellel, vihuela, ossature, jalfrezi and 238 more...
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phrontistery-s
from phrontistery.info
sabaton, sabbatarian, sabbulonarium, sabelline, sabin, sable, sabliere, sabot, sabretache, sabulous, saburration, saccade and 1593 more...
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Grapes
sour grapes, grape, grapes, raisin, Nehi grape soda, Petit Verdot, Concord, Pinot Meunier, scuppernong, muscadine, Catawba, seedless and 112 more...
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Favorite Words
pablum, maundy, histrionic, adamant, ascribe, verbiage, insouciant, erudite, gregarious, superfluous, banal, obdurate and 280 more...
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generationnext's Words
petulant, vehement, pensive, lascivious, vacillate, histrionic, satiated, svelte, lithe, zeitgeist, viscous, sommelier and 526 more...
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colleen's words
yellow, green, pie, blue, fur, people, incense, book, brown, avuncular, mountain, fog and 1316 more...
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thekatespanos's list
pomposity, gaggle, scintilla, lemming, bilk, vanquish, conflate, plenary, verisimilitude, perspicacious, rattletrap, obdurate and 325 more...
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Brinstar's Words
cobalt, obfuscate, archon, wii, sniper, arcane, celerity, visage, auspicious, ether, epidemic, lich and 138 more...
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vmarinelli's Words
canard, gumption, inexorable, insouciance, inviolable, mordant, euphonious, sawbuck, carpe diem, pay dirt, adipocere, profligate and 496 more...
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hedges's Words
wii, crepuscule, adumbrate, concatenation, sufi, qawwali, furry, riot, mellifluous, conspiracy, etymology, tea cozy and 369 more...
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Who Are You?
No one ever says, "I want to be a somnambulist when I grow up." But don't let that get in the way of organizing your Wordie lists.
chevalier, somnambulist, sommelier, troubadour, vicar, majordomo, caliph, polyglot, polymath, apprentice, nuyorican, privateer and 107 more...
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sionnach's Words
contumely, fomite, holmgang, poltroon, eleemosynary, obsidian, nugatory, grindcore, felch, recrudescent, pyx, parenteral and 3271 more...
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envelopingshadow's Words
denouement, kitsch, acrimonious, macabre, anachronism, atavism, ennui, parse, lugubrious, holism, brusque, commiserate and 164 more...
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dirtysnowflake's Words
snowflake, parisian, couture, mystery, ruby, clandestine, corset, october, list, touch, caress, aboulia and 156 more...
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5-0
Hecko, words! I’m so happy I’ve found you. I want to keep you all and never want to lose you again. I hope you like it here.
amscray, thistledown, tine, tinsel, pungent, snarl, wail, lanky, viscid, dawdle, luminous, stow and 2719 more...
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