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yeoman

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yeoman¹

  • /ˈjəʊ.mən/ UK
  • /ˈjoʊ.mən/ Canada, US
  • /ˈjəʉ.mən/ Australia
  • /ˈjɐʉ.mən/ New Zealand
  • /ˈjiː.mən/ obsolete

Rhymes with -əʊmən

Where it comes from

From Middle English yeman, yoman, of disputed etymology:

* From Old English *ġēamann, from Proto-West Germanic *gawamann, variant of *gauwjamann (compare Old Frisian gāman (“villager”), Middle High German göuman (“peasant”)), compound of Proto-West Germanic *gawi (“shire, district”) (compare Old English -ġē, -ġēa (“district, region”) (in ælġē, Sūþriġēa), West Frisian gea, goa, Dutch gouw, German Gau) + *mann (“man”).

* A contraction of yong man; compare dialectal yeomath (“aftermath”) for a possible parallel.

noun yeomen

  1. UK An official providing honorable service in a royal or high noble household, ranking between a squire and a page. Especially, a yeoman of the guard, a member of a ceremonial bodyguard to the UK monarch (not to be confused with a Yeoman Warder).
  2. US A dependable, diligent, or loyal worker or someone who does a great service.
  3. historical A former class of small freeholders who farm their own land; a commoner of good standing. This model of production costs might alternatively be derived from a yeoman farmer model, in which households supply goods directly[.]
  4. A subordinate, deputy, aide, or assistant.
  5. A Yeoman Warder.
  6. A clerk in the US Navy, and US Coast Guard.
  7. In a vessel of war, the person in charge of the storeroom.
  8. A member of the Yeomanry Cavalry, officially chartered in 1794 originating around the 1760s.
  9. A member of the Imperial Yeomanry, officially created in 1890s and renamed in 1907.
  10. Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Cirrochroa, of Asia and Australasia.

Yeoman²

Where it comes from

From yeoman.

proper noun Yeomans · Yeaman · Youman

  1. countable, uncountable A surname originating as an occupation.
  2. countable, uncountable A town in Jefferson Township, Carroll County, Indiana, United States.

Translations

Every language

noun subordinate

Françaisvalet

noun small freeholder

Españolterrateniente
中文自耕農 /自耕农 zìgēngnóng
Françaisfranc-tenancier
DeutschFreisasse
Русскиййо́мен jómen

noun clerk in navy or coast guard

Españoledecán

noun nautical: person in charge of the storeroom

中文文書軍士 /文书军士 wénshū jūnshì

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Cite this
MLA

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

APA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX
@misc{yeoman_2026,
  title = {yeoman},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/yeoman},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}