I’ve been under the gun for various deadlines recently so my updates are haphazard at best. But today’s A.Word.A.Day is just something I had to share, especially considering that I’ve been talking to a lot of sommeliers recently (the thought for today, from Paul Valery is also quite compelling):
sommelier
PRONUNCIATION:
(sum-uhl-YAY)MEANING:
noun: A wine steward in a restaurant.ETYMOLOGY:
From French sommelier, from somm(er)ier (one charged with transporting supplies), from somier (beast of burden), from somme (burden). From driving a pack animal to drafting wine lists, a sommelier has come a long way. A sommelier is to wine as a cicerone is to beer, though the latter has recently been introduced and is not widespread.USAGE:
“First class passengers, who will pay about $20,000 a ticket to Europe, will have their own onboard sommelier to guide them through an array of wines to accompany their five-star meals.”
‘Superbird’ Flights Offer Five-star Luxury; Gold Coast News (Queensland, Australia); Jun 17, 2008 .A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
God made everything out of nothing, but the nothingness shows through. -Paul Valery, poet and philosopher (1871-1945)
(Thanks for sharing, Joanna!)