footman

See also: Footman

English

A footman of the household of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.

Parts of a spinning wheel - H: footman

Etymology

From Middle English foteman, footman, fotman (“foot soldier, running footman”), from Old English *fōtman, *fōtmann (attested only as Old English fēþman, fēþmann (“footman”), equivalent to foot +‎ man.

Noun

footman (plural footmen)

1. (archaic) A soldier who marches and fights on foot; a foot soldier.
2. A man in waiting; a male servant whose duties are to attend the door, the carriage, the table, etc.
   • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:

     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.

3. (historical) A servant who runs in front of his master's carriage.
4. A metallic stand with four feet, for keeping anything warm before a fire.
5. A moth of the family Arctiidae (or subfamily Arctiinae); -- so called from its livery-like colors.
   1. especially, the common footman ()
6. A bar that connects the treadle of a spinning wheel to the wheel.

Synonyms

• (historical): runner, running footman
• (moth): footman moth

Translations

soldier who marches and fights on foot — see foot soldier

male servant

• Bulgarian: лакей (bg) m (lakej)
• Dutch: lakei (nl)
• Esperanto: lakeo
• Finnish: miespalvelija (fi), lakeija (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: laquais (fr) m
• Greek: λακές (el) m (lakés)
• Latin: pedisequus m

servant who runs in front of his master's carriage

• Finnish: lakeija (fi)
• Irish: giolla cóiste m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: lacayo m

metallic stand with four feet

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

moth of the subfamily Arctiinae

• Finnish: aitosiilikäs
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Manulea lurideola

• Finnish: harmokeltasiipi
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

part of a spinning wheel

• Finnish: liipotin (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

References

• “footman”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “footman”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “footman”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “footman”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

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Middle English

Noun

footman

1. Alternative form of foteman