footman

== English == === Etymology === 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. === Noun === footman (plural footmen) (archaic) A soldier who marches and fights on foot; a foot soldier. A man in waiting; a male servant whose duties are to attend the door, the carriage, the table, etc. Coordinate terms: parlourmaid, footwoman (historical) A servant who runs in front of his master's carriage. A metallic stand with four feet, for keeping anything warm before a fire. A moth of the family Arctiidae (or subfamily Arctiinae); -- so called from its livery-like colors. especially, a common footman (Manulea lurideola) A bar that connects the treadle of a spinning wheel to the wheel. ==== Synonyms ==== (historical): runner, running footman (moth): footman moth ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === “footman”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “footman”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “footman”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “footman”, in Online Etymology Dictionary. == Middle English == === Noun === footman alternative form of fotman