footman
/fˈʊtmən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.50 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A man in waiting; a male servant whose duties are to attend the door, the carriage, the table, etc.
noun
A moth of the family Arctiidae (or subfamily Arctiinae); so called from its livery-like colors.
noun
A moth of the family Arctiidae (or subfamily Arctiinae); so called from its livery-like colors.
noun
A bar that connects the treadle of a spinning wheel to the wheel.
name
A surname.
Example Sentences
- "[…] on October 29, 1888, the Russian imperial train was derailed at Borki by defective track, and twenty-one persons were killed. Although these did not include the Emperor Alexander III, who escaped with a bruising, a footman serving coffee to him at the critical moment, and his dog, which was lying on the floor beside him, were both killed on the spot."
- "And no use for anyone to tell Charles that this was because the Family was in mourning for Mr Granville Darracott […]: Charles might only have been second footman at Darracott Place for a couple of months when that disaster occurred, but no one could gammon him into thinking that my lord cared a spangle for his heir."
- "Reading their accounts, you can't help feeling they got a more thrilling frisson from sharing a pot of home-made stew without a footman than they took in any of their convoluted couplings."
- "When he travelled by coach the vehicle was accompanied by his liveried footmen running alongside to ensure its smooth passage (footmen would not be indoor servants until a century later)."
Etymology
From Middle English fotman, footman, foteman (“foot soldier, running footman”), from Old English *fōtman, *fōtmann (attested only as Old English fēþman, fēþemann (“footman”), equivalent to foot + man.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: fotman, *fōtman
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Military.