butler
1 Americannoun
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the chief male servant of a household, usually in charge of serving food, the care of silverware, etc.
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a male servant having charge of the wines and liquors.
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a tray or other receptacle used to serve drinks or food.
verb (used with object)
noun
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Benjamin Franklin, 1818–93, U.S. politician and a Union general in the Civil War.
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Joseph, 1692–1752, English bishop, theologian, and author.
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Nicholas Murray, 1862–1947, U.S. educator: president of Columbia University 1902–45; Nobel Peace Prize 1931.
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Pierce, 1866–1939, U.S. jurist: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1923–39.
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Samuel, 1612–80, English poet.
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Samuel, 1835–1902, English novelist, essayist, and satirist.
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Smedley Darlington 1881–1940, U.S. Marine Corps general.
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a city in W Pennsylvania.
noun
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Joseph . 1692–1752, English bishop and theologian, author of Analogy of Religion (1736)
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Josephine ( Elizabeth ). 1828–1906, British social reformer, noted esp for her campaigns against state regulation of prostitution
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Reg , full name Reginald Cotterell Butler . 1913–81, British metal sculptor; his works include The Unknown Political Prisoner (1953)
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R ( ichard ) A ( usten ), Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, known as Rab Butler . 1902–82, British Conservative politician: Chancellor of the Exchequer (1951–55); Home Secretary (1957–62); Foreign Secretary (1963–64)
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Samuel . 1612–80, English poet and satirist; author of Hudibras (1663–78)
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Samuel . 1835–1902, British novelist, noted for his satirical work Erewhon (1872) and his autobiographical novel The Way of All Flesh (1903)
noun
Other Word Forms
- butlerlike adjective
- butlership noun
- underbutler noun
Etymology
Origin of butler
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English buteler, from Anglo-French butuiller, Old French bouteillier, from Medieval Latin butticulārius, derivative of butticula ; bottle 1, -er 2, -ier 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was built in a time when houses had things like butler’s pantries and wall-to-wall mahogany wood paneling.
From Literature
There, butlers opened doors and ladies’ maids took wraps and bonnets into elegant dressing rooms.
From Literature
The broker opens the door, and there’s a butler.
There, recent findings show, the enslaved cook and butler lived, and other slaves waited for orders.
But there are also glimpses of a life of privilege, as the same email mentions she's in the south of France with the "perfect butler".
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
