yeoman

American  

[yoh-muhn] / ˈyoʊ mən /

noun

plural

yeomen

1. a petty officer in a navy, having chiefly clerical duties in the U.S. Navy.

2. British. a farmer who cultivates his own land.

3. History/Historical. one of a class of lesser freeholders, below the gentry, who cultivated their own land, early admitted in England to political rights.

4. Archaic.

   1. a servant, attendant, or subordinate official in a royal or other great household.

   2. a subordinate or assistant, as of a sheriff or other official or in a craft or trade.

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adjective

1. of, pertaining to, composed of, or characteristic of yeomen.

   the yeoman class.

2. performed or rendered in a loyal, valiant, useful, or workmanlike manner, especially in situations that involve a great deal of effort or labor.

   He did a yeoman job on the problem.

yeoman British  

/ ˈjəʊmən /

noun

1. history

   1. a member of a class of small freeholders of common birth who cultivated their own land

   2. an assistant or other subordinate to an official, such as a sheriff, or to a craftsman or trader

   3. an attendant or lesser official in a royal or noble household

2. (in Britain) another name for yeoman of the guard

3. (modifier) characteristic of or relating to a yeoman

4. a petty officer or noncommissioned officer in the Royal Navy or Marines in charge of signals

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Etymology

Origin of yeoman

1300–50; Middle English yeman, yoman, probably reduced forms of yengman, yongman, yungman, with similar sense; see young, man

Explanation

A yeoman was a farmer who owned and worked his own land — not to be confused with "yo, man!" Although experts aren't entirely sure of the origin of yeoman, they speculate that it is a shortened version of young man. Yeoman is now just a historic term and it is unlikely to be used to describe a landowning farmer today. There are modern uses for the word, however, including in the U.S. Navy, the Royal Navy, a Yeoman of the Guard, and similar military terms.

Example Sentences

This was thanks, in part, to the brilliance and expertise of the boatbuilder George Yeoman Pocock, who built his elegant rowing shells in an old Navy hangar.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 14, 2023

And in a story about fantastical possibilities, he and his longtime collaborators, including the cinematographer Robert Yeoman and the production designer Adam Stockhausen, employ a beguilingly primitive form of movie magic.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 28, 2023

People and firms who are concerned about digital sovereignty may also want to think about the number of companies involved in hosting their data, according to Simon Yeoman, chief executive of cloud company Fasthosts.

From BBC • Aug. 10, 2023

Collaborating with Adam Stockhausen, Anderson’s production designer, and Robert Yeoman, the cinematographer, Sami — whose official title is key grip, the head of his department — has an unusual amount of input.

From New York Times • Jun. 21, 2023

George Yeoman Pocock was all but born with an oar in his hands.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown