Yeoman

//ˈjəʊ.mən// name, noun

name, noun ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    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). UK
  2. 2
    in former times was free and cultivated their own land wordnet
  3. 3
    A dependable, diligent, or loyal worker or someone who does a great service. US
  4. 4
    officer in the (ceremonial) bodyguard of the British monarch wordnet
  5. 5
    A former class of small freeholders who farm their own land; a commoner of good standing. historical

    "This model of production costs might alternatively be derived from a yeoman farmer model, in which households supply goods directly[.]"

Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    A subordinate, deputy, aide, or assistant.
  2. 7
    A Yeoman Warder.
  3. 8
    A clerk in the US Navy, and US Coast Guard.
  4. 9
    In a vessel of war, the person in charge of the storeroom.
  5. 10
    A member of the Yeomanry Cavalry, officially chartered in 1794 originating around the 1760s.
  6. 11
    A member of the Imperial Yeomanry, officially created in 1890s and renamed in 1907.
  7. 12
    Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Cirrochroa, of Asia and Australasia.
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname originating as an occupation. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    A town in Jefferson Township, Carroll County, Indiana, United States. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
subordinateagriculturalistagriculturistagrologistagronomistaide

Example

More examples

"He had a yeoman, but no other servants at that time, because it pleased him to ride that way."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English yoman, yeman, from Old English *ġēamann, from Proto-West Germanic *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”).

Etymology 2

From yeoman.

Related phrases

chief yeoman of the signalscommon yeomangood yeoman serviceking's yeomannavigator's yeomanqueen's yeomantraveling yeomanyeoman archeryeoman of the chamberyeoman of the horse or carriageyeoman of the king's butteryyeoman of the king's pantry

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.