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butler

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butler¹

  • /ˈbʌt.lə(ɹ)/ UK
  • /ˈbʌt.lɚ/ US

Rhymes with -ʌtlə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

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. Piecewise doublet of bottler.

noun 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. “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'
  3. A valet, a male personal attendant.

Similar: footman

verb butlers · butlering · butlered

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

Butler²

Where it comes from

* (English surname): From Middle English Butler.

* (Anglicized surname): From French Boutilier, Boutillier, Bouthillier.

* (placename): From the surname

proper noun Butlers

  1. countable, uncountable An English and Irish surname from Middle English [in turn originating as an occupation], for someone who was a butler or wine servant.
  2. countable, uncountable An Anglicized form of the French Boutilier, Boutillier, Bouthillier surname from French of similar derivation.
  3. countable, uncountable A male given name.
  4. countable, uncountable A town, the county seat of Choctaw County, Alabama.
  5. countable, uncountable A populated place in Mohave County, Arizona.
  6. countable, uncountable A ghost town in Fresno County, California.
  7. countable, uncountable A small city, the county seat of Taylor County, Georgia.
  8. countable, uncountable A small village in Montgomery County, Illinois.
  9. countable, uncountable A small city in DeKalb County, Indiana.
  10. countable, uncountable A home rule city in Pendleton County, Kentucky.
  11. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland.
  12. countable, uncountable A city, the county seat of Bates County, Missouri.
  13. countable, uncountable A borough of Morris County, New Jersey.
  14. countable, uncountable A town in Wayne County, New York.
  15. countable, uncountable A village in Richland County, Ohio.
  16. countable, uncountable A town in Custer County, Oklahoma.
  17. countable, uncountable A census-designated place in Delaware County, Oklahoma.
  18. countable, uncountable A city, the county seat of Butler County, Pennsylvania.
  19. countable, uncountable A tiny town in Day County, South Dakota.
  20. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Johnson County, Tennessee.
  21. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Freestone County, Texas.
  22. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Bastrop County, Texas.
  23. countable, uncountable A small town in Clark County, Wisconsin.
  24. countable, uncountable A village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
  25. countable, uncountable A number of townships in the United States, listed under Butler Township.
  26. countable, uncountable A location in Canada
  27. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Manitoba, Canada.
  28. countable, uncountable A locality in South Australia.
  29. countable, uncountable An outer suburb of Perth, Western Australia.
  30. abbreviation, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Ellipsis of Butler County
  31. abbreviation, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Ellipsis of Butler River

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: pantryman, valet, master, hotel, newtown, steward, manservant, footman, house steward, majordomo, attendant, retainer, houseman, chamberlain, cupbearer, cellarer

noun

Similar: footman

Translations

Every language

noun manservant having charge of wines and liquors

Españolsumiller, sommelier (somelié)
한국어소믈리에 someullie
日本語ソムリエ somurie
中文管家 guǎnjiā, 男僕 /男仆 nánpú
हिन्दीख़ानसामा xānsāmā, ख़ानसामाँ xānsāmā̃
Portuguêsmordomo
Françaissommelier
Italianocostituente
Românăsomelier, chelar, pivnicer
Русскийдворе́цкий dvoréckij
العربيةكَبِير خَدَم kabīr ḵadam

noun chief male servant

Españolmayordomo, guardés
한국어집사 jipsa
日本語執事 shitsuji
中文管家 guǎnjiā, 執事 /执事 zhíshì
Portuguêsmordomo
Françaismajordome
DeutschButler
Italianomaggiordomo
Ελληνικάαρχιοικονόμος archioikonómos
Românămajordom
Русскийдворе́цкий dvoréckij, мажордо́м mažordóm, камерди́нер kamerdíner, домоправи́тель domopravítelʹ
Tiếng Việtquản gia
العربيةقَهْرَمَان qahramān
עבריתרַב מְשָׁרְתִים rav meshartim, בֶּן מֶשֶׁק הַבַּיִת ben meshek habayit

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MLA

"butler." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/butler. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

butler. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/butler

Chicago

"butler." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/butler.

BibTeX
@misc{butler_2026,
  title = {butler},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/butler},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}