footman
[ foo t-muh n ]
/ ˈfʊt mən /
noun, plural foot·men.
a liveried servant who attends the door or carriage, waits on table, etc.
a metal stand before a fire, to keep something hot.
Archaic. an infantryman.
RELATED WORDS
servant, attendant, steward, waitress, gofer, lackey, drudge, sycophant, snob, toady, helper, vassal, knave, blackguard, page, slaver, tray, servitor, salver, waitperson
Nearby words
- footling presentation,
- footlocker,
- footlong,
- footloose,
- footloose and fancy-free,
- footmark,
- footmen's gallery,
- footnote,
- footpace,
- footpad
Origin of footman
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for footman
footman
/ (ˈfʊtmən) /
noun plural -men
a male servant, esp one in livery
a low four-legged metal stand used in a fireplace for utensils, etc
(formerly) a foot soldier
any of several arctiid moths related to the tiger moths, esp the common footman (Eilema lurideola), with yellowish hind wings and brown forewings with a yellow front stripe; they produce woolly bear larvae
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
footman
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 (n.) + man (n.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper