cupbearer

[ kuhp-bair-er ]

noun

1. a servant who fills and serves wine cups, as in a royal palace or at an elaborate banquet.

cupbearer

/ ˈkʌpˌbɛərə /

noun

1. an attendant who fills and serves wine cups, as in a royal household

Word History and Origins

Origin of cupbearer¹

First recorded in 1375–1425, cupbearer is from the Middle English word cuppe-berer. See cup, bearer

Example Sentences

“Nehemiah was a cupbearer of the king, he was in Babylon at the time, he had the king’s favor and he went back and he saw that the walls were smoldering — the walls of Jerusalem, the great city of David — that the walls were broken down and burning with fire and it broke his heart and so he called upon all the people, all the Israelites, and he said,’Come let us rebuild the wall we will no longer be in chains.’”

From Washington Times

It was also the site of one of my favorite random “Thrones” subplots, when Tywin Lannister was based there during the War of the Five Kings and Arya was undercover as his cupbearer.

From New York Times

Sometimes she appears as cupbearer to the gods; sometimes that office is held by Ganymede, a beautiful young Trojan prince who was seized and carried up to Olympus by Zeus’s eagle.

From Literature

Cathy wrote: “Despair and hopelessness have always been a part of the human experience. In the book of Nehemiah, found in the Old Testament, we read about the conviction of the cupbearer of the king, who became aware of the plight of his people in Jerusalem. His conviction moved him to action to be a catalyst for the renaissance in his homeland.”

From Fox News

“Can’t argue with results. I think it was probably: ‘For better or for worse, Cupbearer offers a true taste of Ganymede and we owe it to ourselves, and this world, to try it.’”

From Nature