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

And that was at a time when the main military bullwork of the country was the militia, these part-time, yeoman farmers.

From Slate • May 3, 2023

A decade later, after what colleagues and constituents called the senator’s yeoman service as an advocate on health and environmental issues, a hidden side of Mr. Durenberger began to surface.

From New York Times • Jan. 31, 2023

It was during his senior year that he enlisted and was sent to boot camp in Great Lakes, Ill., where he excelled as a leader yeoman and sharpshooter, his obituary stated.

From Washington Post • Apr. 23, 2022

But as they had in St. Louis the prior night, the penalty kill did yeoman work and the Blackhawks mustered very little.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 7, 2022

And when they found him, the daughter of the yeoman had died of exhaustion and fatigue.

From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon