sommelier means the member of staff at a restaurant who keeps the wine cellar and advises the guests on a choice of wines; a wine steward / stewardess, a wine waiter / waitress / server. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
sommelier is pronounced /ˌsɒmˈmɛli.ə/.
Why “sommelier” is a great word
SOMMELIER — [Noun] A wine steward, especially in a restaurant, responsible for the wine cellar and advising guests on wine selection. From the French *sommelier*, originally 'person in charge of pack animals carrying wine', from Old French *somme* ('pack, burden') from Vulgar Latin *sauma*, from Latin *sagma* ('packsaddle'), and the agent suffix *-ier*. Unlike a butler, who commands a broad household, or a bartender, who serves a swift, egalitarian pour, the sommelier is a curator of bottled time. It is the quiet rustle of a tasting napkin, the ceremonial presentation of a label, and the precise, silent pour into a waiting glass—a profession that has transmuted the labor of the pack animal into the theater of the palate, a narrative where practical burdens become vessels of art.
Etymology
Borrowed from French sommelier (“originally, a person in charge of the beasts of burden carrying wine”), from somme (“pack”) + -ier (suffix forming the names of jobs). somme is from Vulgar Latin *sauma, from Latin sagma (“packsaddle”).
noun
- The member of staff at a restaurant who keeps the wine cellar and advises the guests on a choice of wines; a wine steward / stewardess, a wine waiter / waitress / server.“The sommelier recommended the perfect wine, opened the bottle with panache, and served it into glasses.”
verb
- To act as a sommelier.“The final nerve-wracking task involved “sommeliering” throughout a gourmet lunch for judges and wine writers – and answering the tricky questions which were inevitably thrown their way.”