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houseboy

houseboy

11 7.3
A young man who does cleaning, serving, and errands in a private home
  • noun
  • /ˈhaʊsˌbɔɪ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : mozo de servicio (arcaico)
  • Should your houseboy's predicament not jog your memory, you may bid him Godspeed.
  • houseboy job
  • work as a houseboy

Examples

  • My father found work as a "houseboy," starting all over again at age 59.

    Blog text (8)
  • The door swung open, and a pair of shrunken little houseboys bowed into the room with our breakfast.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • I just took the first room the houseboy showed me.

  • I thought you were the houseboy.

  • Overnight, I went from being treated like a god to being treated like a houseboy.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • "I thought I told you never to come here," the houseboy said through the intercom in the box beside the gate.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Are you the houseboy?

  • There was the faint scent of pot in the air, and one of Quintoon's Chinese houseboys was passing around a tray of small, round sandwiches.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Servants sprang up like mushrooms after a rain: turbaned Sikhs with appropriately somber faces, houseboys in white, and ladies-in-waiting with dark staring eyes.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The houseboy helped serve dinner to the guests at the party.

Synonyms

servant
vshouseboy
422 1.0

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

is a younger employed male rather than a general household worker
cleaner
vshouseboy
51 1.0

A person who cleans houses or offices as their job

covers cleaning plus serving and errands rather than cleaning alone
errand boy
vshouseboy
17 3.2

A young person paid to do small tasks such as delivering messages and packages

does cleaning and serving as well as errands not just messages
domestic
vshouseboy
  • UK
14 5.8

A person who works in a home doing cleaning and cooking

is a younger male worker rather than a general household helper
manservant
vshouseboy
  • Archaic
11 7.4

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

is a younger male worker rather than an adult personal employee
footman
vshouseboy
  • Archaic
7 8.9

A man who works in a large house, greeting visitors and serving meals

is a younger worker for private households rather than a large house attendant
house servant
vshouseboy
1 2.3

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

is a younger male worker rather than a general household employee
housecleaner
vshouseboy
  • US
1 1.9

A person who cleans homes for money

does broader domestic duties including serving and errands not only cleaning
domestic help
vshouseboy
1 2.6

A person paid to clean and cook in a home

is a younger male worker rather than a hired household assistant
houseworker
vshouseboy
2.5

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

is a younger employed male rather than someone working as family duty
servingman
vshouseboy
  • Archaic
9.9

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

is the modern term used for a younger employed male in domestic work
pageboy
vshouseboy
  • Archaic
7.0

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

works in private homes doing cleaning serving and errands rather than hotel duties
home help
vshouseboy
  • UK
3.4

A person who helps older or disabled people with housework and shopping at home

is a younger male worker for general private households rather than elderly care support

Surface Forms

houseboy singular
houseboys plural

Morphology

houseboy = house + boy (transparent) = house + boy

A straightforward compound: 'house' + 'boy' clearly indicates a boy employed in a household.

Etymology

Houseboy is simply house + boy, literally a 'boy of the house' who helps with chores. That's why it refers to a young man employed to do domestic work in a private home.