factotum

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[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

New Latin, “do everything”, from Latin fac, present singular imperative of faciō (do, make), + tōtum (everything); attested in English from 1566.

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Noun

Singular
factotum

Plural
factotums

factotum (plural factotums)

  1. (dated) A person having many diverse activities or responsibilities.
  2. (dated) A general servant.
    • 1847, Herman Melville, Omoo, Chapter 73,
      I had almost forgotten Monee, the grinning old man who prepared our meal. […] He was Po-Po's factotum—cook, butler, and climber of the bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees; and, added to all else, a mighty favourite with his mistress; with whom he would sit smoking and gossiping by the hour.
  3. (idiomatic) Jack of all trades.

[edit] Translations

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