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] Piecewise doublet of bottler.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈbʌt.lə(ɹ)/
  • (US) enPR: bŭtʹ-lər, IPA(key): /ˈbʌt.lɚ/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌtlə(ɹ)
  • Hyphenation: but‧ler

Noun

butler (plural butlers)

  1. A manservant having charge of wines and liquors.
  2. 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. …"
  3. A valet, a male personal attendant.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

butler (third-person singular simple present butlers, present participle butlering, simple past and past participle butlered)

  1. To buttle, to dispense wines or liquors; to take the place of a butler.

References

  1. Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “butler”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English butler.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbʏt.lər/
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: but‧ler

Noun

butler m (plural butlers, diminutive butlertje n)

  1. A butler (chief male servant of a household; valet; booze manservant).

Swedish

Noun

butler c

  1. 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

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