Footman Meaning
/fˈʊtmən/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA soldier who marches and fights on foot; a foot soldier.
nounA man in waiting; a male servant whose duties are to attend the door, the carriage, the table, etc.
Sentence Examples
The footman announced the arrival of the duchess.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ in the elegant uniform opened the carriage door for the arriving guests.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The wealthy aristocrat was always accompanied by a ____ who attended to his every minor need.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] 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."
— 1945 September and October, C. Hamilton Ellis, “Royal Trains—V”, in Railway Magazine, pages 251–252:
"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."
— 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
"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."
— 2023 September 23, Tim Hayward, “Not so easy does it”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 19:
"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)."
— 2016, Anna Keay, chapter 8, in The Last Royal Rebel, London: Bloomsbury:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ in the elegant uniform opened the carriage door for the arriving guests.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The wealthy aristocrat was always accompanied by a ____ who attended to his every minor need.