maître d'hôtel

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word maître d'hôtel. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word maître d'hôtel, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say maître d'hôtel in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word maître d'hôtel you have here. The definition of the word maître d'hôtel will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofmaître d'hôtel, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French maître d’hôtel.

Noun

maître d'hôtel (plural maîtres d'hôtel)

  1. Synonym of maître d' (headwaiter).
    • 1866, Alexandre Dumas, Memoires of a Maître D'armes; Or, Eighteen Months at St. Petersburg, page 106:
      After the first course, the maître d'hôtel came in, holding a silver dish, on which were two fish, which I did not recognise.
    • 1920, The Hotel World: The Hotel and Travelers Journal, volume 90, page 47:
      Julius Vanice, the maitre d'hotel of the Pennsylvania, New York City, came to that position from the Detroit Statler.
    • 1953 March 28, Joseph Wechsberg, “Profiles: The Ambassador in the Sanctuary”, in The New Yorker, volume XXIX, New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 40:
      [Henri] Soulé had decided to keep the Pavillon open, after a fashion, by closing down the salle and serving meals only in the bar and the nouvelle salle, with the help of the non-striking members of his staff—two maîtres d’hôtel, twenty-two chefs and cooks, the cashier, the hat-check girl, and a pantryman.
    • 2011, Barbara Ketcham Wheaton, Savoring the Past: The French Kitchen and Table from 1300 to 1789, page 102:
      The staff for both cuisine and office were hired and fired by maitre d'hôtel.

Derived terms

French

Etymology

From maître +‎ de +‎ hôtel.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mɛ.tʁə d‿o.tɛl/, /me.tʁə d‿o.tɛl/

Noun

maître d’hôtel m (plural maîtres d’hôtel)

  1. the person in charge of the team of waiters in a restaurant or hotel
  2. a headwaiter; major-domo

Descendants

See also