factotum

See also: factótum

English

WOTD – 18 April 2009

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /fækˈtəʊ.təm/
• (US) IPA^(key): /fækˈtoʊ.təm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

factotum (plural factotums)

1. (dated) A person having many diverse activities or responsibilities.
2. (dated) A general servant.

   Synonym: do-all

   • 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. An individual employed to do all sorts of duties.

   • 2021 November 5, Schwarz, Jon, The Intercept‎^[1], First Look Media:

     Biden’s and Bush’s factotums had to walk their statements quickly back, emphasizing that U.S. policy had not changed.

4. A jack of all trades.

   Synonyms: handyman, jack of all trades, sciolist

   • 2018 January 10, Ann Hornaday, “‘Phantom Thread’: In his final role, Daniel Day-Lewis reminds us he’s a monumental talent”, in Washington Post‎^[2]:

     He lives with his devoted sister and factotum, Cyril (Lesley Manville), and a series of women who tend to be quietly eased out when they demand too much time and attention or — heaven forfend! — dare to speak during Woodcock’s monastic creative routine.

5. A printer's ornament forming a decorative border into which any letter can be inserted to mark the beginning of a section of text.

Translations

person having many responsibilities

• Danish: altmuligmand c
• French: factotum (fr) m
• German: Faktotum (de) n
• Greek: παντοποιός m (pantopoiós)
• Hungarian: tótumfaktum
• Italian: factotum m

• Kyrgyz: фактотум (ky) (faktotum), ишенген кызматкер (ky) (işengen qızmatker)
• Polish: faktotum (pl) n
• Portuguese: factótum (pt) m, faz tudo, factoto (pt) m
• Spanish: todero m

general servant

• Czech: děvče pro všechno n
• Danish: faktotum (da) n
• Dutch: factotum (nl) m, manusje-van-alles (nl) n
• German: Faktotum (de) n
• Hungarian: tótumfaktum

• Italian: factotum m
• Scottish Gaelic: gille-gach-gnothaich m
• Spanish: muchacho de los mandados m, hombre orquesta n
• Swedish: allt-i-allo

jack of all trades

• Bulgarian: момче за всичко (momče za vsičko)
• Dutch: factotum (nl) m, manusje-van-alles (nl) n, duiveldoetal m
• Hungarian: ezermester (hu)
• Ido: faktotum (io)

• Portuguese: faz-tudo (pt)
• Serbo-Croatian: katica za sve f
• Spanish: muchacho de los mandados m, hombre orquesta n

References

• factotum in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Further reading

• Factotum on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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Dutch

Etymology

Possibly directly or else via French from New Latin factotum (literally “do everything”), from Latin fac, present singular imperative of faciō (“do, make”) + tōtum (“everything”); attested in Dutch from 1605.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɑkˈtoː.tʏm/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: fac‧to‧tum

Noun

factotum m (plural factotums, diminutive factotumpje n)

1. factotum (jack-of-all-trades)

Synonyms

• duivel-doet-al
• manusje-van-alles
• klusjesman (“handyman”)

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Italian

Noun

factotum m (invariable)

1. an individual employed to do all sorts of duties
   • 1816, "Largo al Factotum", Il barbiere di Siviglia, Gioachino Rossini, libretto by Cesare Sterbini

     "Largo al factotum della città, largo!" ("Make way for the factotum of the city!")