butler
See also: Butler
English
Etymology
From Old French butiller (“officer in charge of wine”). [1] See bottle.
Pronunciation
Noun
butler (plural butlers)
- A manservant having charge of wines and liquors.
- The chief male servant of a household who has charge of other employees, receives guests, directs the serving of meals, and performs various personal services.
- 1929, Baldwyn Dyke Acland, chapter 2, in Filibuster:
- “One marble hall, with staircase complete, one butler and three flunkeys to receive a retired sojer who dares to ring the bell. D'you know, old boy, I gave my bowler to the butler, whangee to one flunkey, gloves to another, and there was the fourth poor blighter looking like an orphan at a Mothers' Meeting. …"
-
- A valet, a male personal attendant.
Derived terms
- buttle (backformation)
Translations
manservant having charge of wines and liquors
chief male servant
|
Verb
butler (third-person singular simple present butlers, present participle butlering, simple past and past participle butlered)
- To buttle, to dispense wines or liquors; to take the place of a butler.
References
Anagrams
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.