footman

footman
footman (n.) c.1300, "foot soldier;" late 14c., "one who goes on foot;" as a personal attendant, originally one who ran before or alongside his master's carriage, announcing its arrival (and keeping it from tipping over). The modern, non-jogging servant sense is from c.1700, though the running footmen still were in service mid-18c. From FOOT (Cf. foot) (n.) + MAN (Cf. man) (n.).

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Footman — Foot man, n.; pl. {Footmen}. 1. A soldier who marches and fights on foot; a foot soldier. [1913 Webster] 2. A man in waiting; a male servant whose duties are to attend the door, the carriage, the table, etc. [1913 Webster] 3. Formerly, a servant… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • footman — ► NOUN ▪ a liveried servant whose duties include admitting visitors and waiting at table …   English terms dictionary

  • footman — [foot′mən] n. pl. footmen [foot′mən] [orig., a man who ran on foot beside his master s horse or carriage] 1. a male servant who assists the butler in a large household 2. Archaic a foot soldier; infantryman …   English World dictionary

  • Footman — A footman (plural men ) is a male servant, notably as domestic staff.Word historyThe name derives from the attendants who ran beside or behind the carriages of aristocrats, many of whom were chosen for their physical attributes.Originally the… …   Wikipedia

  • footman — UK [ˈfʊtmən] / US noun [countable] Word forms footman : singular footman plural footmen UK [ˈfʊtmən] / US a male servant, especially in the past, who wore a uniform and opened doors for people …   English dictionary

  • footman — [[t]f ʊtmən[/t]] footmen N COUNT A footman is a male servant who typically does jobs such as opening doors or serving food, and who often wears a special uniform …   English dictionary

  • footman — noun (plural footmen) 1》 a liveried servant whose duties include admitting visitors and waiting at table. 2》 historical a soldier in the infantry. 3》 archaic a trivet to hang on the bars of a grate. 4》 used in names of small moths of a subdued… …   English new terms dictionary

  • footman — A male servant in the household. A person on foot; a pedestrian. A person riding on a bicycle is not a footman or pedestrian, whether he is riding on the sidewalk or elsewhere. Mercer v Corbin, 117 Ind 450, 20 NE 132 …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • Footman (furniture) — The footman is a British term for a metal stand, usually of polished steel or brass, and either oblong or oval in shape, for keeping plates and dishes hot before a dining room fire. A footman was useful prior to the early 20th century, before hot …   Wikipedia

  • footman moth — ▪ insect       any of a group of insects in the tiger moth family, Arctiidae (order Lepidoptera), for which the common name footman is probably derived from the stiff, elongate appearance of the adult moths, which usually align their narrow wings …   Universalium

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