famulus

[ fam-yuh-luh s ]

/ ˈfæm yə ləs /

noun, plural fam·u·li [fam-yuh-lahy] /ˈfæm yəˌlaɪ/.

a servant or attendant, especially of a scholar or a magician.

Nearby words

famished, famotidine, famous, famous last words, famously, famulus, fan, fan base, fan belt, fan club, fan dance

Origin of famulus

1830–40; < Latin: servant, slave; cf. family

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for famulus

He falls back upon himself almost despairing, when the famulus Wagner enters.
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 16|Various
Famulus, fam′ū-lus, n. a private secretary or factotum: an attendant, esp.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various
Famulus dropped trembling into a chair and covered his face with his hands.
Myths and Legends of All Nations|Various
The devil himself cannot persuade your Famulus to take away the wine.
Beethoven's Letters 1790-1826 Vol. 2|Lady Wallace

Famulus means domestic slave, and familia is the aggregate number of slaves belonging to one man.
The Origin of the Family Private Property and the State|Frederick Engels

British Dictionary definitions for famulus

famulus

/ (ˈfæmjʊləs) /

noun plural -li (-ˌlaɪ)

(formerly) the attendant of a sorcerer or scholar

Word Origin for famulus

C19: from Latin: servant

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012