manservant

noun

man·​ser·​vant ˈman-ˌsər-vənt How to pronounce manservant (audio)
plural menservants ˈmen-ˌsər-vən(t)s How to pronounce manservant (audio)
: a male servant

Examples of manservant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The true story of an enslaved couple who escaped to freedom by posing as a wealthy White man and his manservant. Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s. Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 8 June 2010 Its expansiveness starts to feel grotesque, and so do the combinations of coolness and glee with which this odd manservant runs through the shadowy, crushing facts. Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books, 22 Dec. 2022 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 25 Aug. 2023 In his younger days he had been known to creep up on his first owner, the colleague’s future husband, and drop on him suddenly from above, like a feline version of Cato, Inspector Clouseau’s manservant. Gregory Hays, The New York Review of Books, 1 June 2023 Scurrying to his side like rats on a Titanic lifeboat are son-in-law Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) and his faithful manservant Greg (Nicholas Braun). Vulture, 2 Mar. 2023 That was high praise indeed, for Darnes had accompanied Kirby Smith across the country and beyond as his enslaved manservant. Cynthia Greenlee, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2023 While Lurch, the Addams family manservant, barely appears in Wednesday, his character channels the Lurch costume of the TV show and movies. Emily Burack, Town & Country, 10 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'manservant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of manservant was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near manservant

Cite this Entry

“Manservant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manservant. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

manservant

noun
man·​ser·​vant ˈman-ˌsər-vənt How to pronounce manservant (audio)
plural menservants ˈmen-ˌsər-vən(t)s How to pronounce manservant (audio)
: a male servant

More from Merriam-Webster on manservant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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