butler
See also: Butler
English
Etymology
From Middle English butler, butlere, boteler, botelere, from Old French buttiler, butiller, boteillier (“officer in charge of wine”), from Medieval Latin botellārius, equivalent to bottle + -er. [1]
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈbʌt.lə(ɹ)/
- (US) enPR: bŭtʹ-lər, IPA(key): /ˈbʌt.lɚ/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ʌtlə(ɹ)
- Hyphenation: but‧ler
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
- butler café
- butler cafe
- butler lie
- butler steak
- buttle (backformation)
- silent butler
Related terms
- butt (large cask)
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
- Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “butler”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Anagrams
- turbel
Dutch
Etymology
Borrowed from English butler.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbʏt.lər/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: but‧ler
Noun
butler m (plural butlers, diminutive butlertje n)
- A butler (chief male servant of a household; valet; booze manservant).
Swedish
Noun
butler c
- a butler (chief male servant, personal attendant)
Usage notes
Chiefly of butlers in England. See also betjänt.
Declension
Declension of butler | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | butler | butlern | butler | butlerna |
Genitive | butlers | butlerns | butlers | butlernas |
References
- butler in Svensk ordbok (SO)
- butler in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
- butler in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)