Baristas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Persons who expertly make and serve a variety of coffee concoctions at cafés and coffee shops
2. Individuals skilled in crafting espresso-based drinks and serving them to customers in coffee establishments
3. Workers who handle making and presenting coffee specialties such as lattes and cappuccinos at cafés

Etymology: "Baristas" is simply the plural of "barista," a word English borrowed from Italian, where it means "bartender." The Italian term is built from "bar," which Italian took from English, and the suffix "-ista," the same ending found in words like "pianista" and "artista" for people who practise a trade or art. So the word has travelled back to English in a new form: an English noun went into Italian, gained a suffix there, and returned. The English "bar" that started the chain was the counter or room where drinks were served. Italian speakers attached "-ista" to it to name the person working behind that counter, so the original sense was a bartender rather than a coffee maker. The coffee meaning came later, as espresso bars spread through Italy and then abroad, and English speakers adopted the Italian word to describe the specialist behind the espresso machine.