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footman

footman

7 8.9
A man who works in a large house, greeting visitors and serving meals
  • noun
  • /ˈfʊtmən/
  • Archaic
translation icon : paje
  • Sir Robert looked after him stonily, then rang for the footman and told him he wished to speak with Mr. Craddock.

Examples

  • "Has there been an accident, sir?" the footman asked anxiously, his face puckered with doubt.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Her eyes followed the burly figure of the new footman who had entered the room bearing a pot of fresh tea.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • And no one knows which footman should do it.

  • Why did the footman let you through?

  • I mean, a friend of mine actually, was her footman and told me a lot about her at the time.

  • My footman happened to be passing... when you were in the village this morning.

  • I had a coach and a footman at my disposal.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The simplest question was enough to put Michael, the footman, on his guard.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The door opened, and a footman with a black armband looked at him enquiringly.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The footman opened the door and politely announced the guests arriving for dinner.

Synonyms

servant
vsfootman
422 1.0

A person who works in someone's home doing jobs like cooking and cleaning

is specifically a male worker handling errands in large homes
domestic
vsfootman
  • UK
14 5.8

A person who works in a home doing cleaning and cooking

is specifically male and focused on errands in large houses
manservant
vsfootman
  • Archaic
11 7.4

A man who works in someone's house doing jobs like cleaning and helping with meals

is specific to large houses and focuses on running errands
houseboy
vsfootman
  • Archaic
11 7.3

A young man who does cleaning, serving, and errands in a private home

is an adult role often responsible for running errands and duties
house servant
vsfootman
1 2.3

A person who works in a home doing cleaning, cooking and other daily tasks

is more tied to male errands and varied service duties
domestic help
vsfootman
1 2.6

A person paid to clean and cook in a home

is a formal male role for errands and service in big homes
body servant
vsfootman
1 9.4

A person who helps someone dress and bathe every day

is less personal and more about general household errands and chores
servingman
vsfootman
  • Archaic
9.9

A man who works in a home to serve and help people

is used mainly for serving and running errands in big houses
pageboy
vsfootman
  • Archaic
7.0

A young boy who runs small errands in a hotel or house

is an adult household worker handling diverse domestic chores and errands
houseworker
vsfootman
2.5

A person who cleans, cooks, or does other work in a home

is a male servant role centered on errands and varied duties

How Senior

housekeeper
110 1.1
butler
161 3.7
valet
39 6.0
footman
  • Archaic
7 8.9
servant
422 1.0

Surface Forms

footman singular
footmen plural

Morphology

footman = foot + man (semi-transparent) = foot + man

The components 'foot' + 'man' are obvious, but the lexicalized occupational meaning 'male domestic servant' is a specific job title not directly inferable from the parts by all learners.

Etymology

The word footman comes from the old words foot and man, meaning 'a man on foot'. So a footman was a man who walked to run errands and help in a house, which is why it now means a male servant in a large home.