What does goodman mean?
Goodman is an old English noun with several related historical meanings. Most commonly, it denotes a man of good character, respectable breeding, or gentlemanly standing, rather than simply any morally good man. In older speech it could also refer to a man's wife to her husband, especially in the phrase my goodman. In medieval and early modern social terminology, goodman could designate a person below knightly or gentlemanly rank, so its sense shifted with social context rather than always expressing moral approval. Today it is rarely used as an ordinary noun and survives mainly in historical writing, dialect, literature, and phrases that preserve an earlier register. Goodman is also a common surname, but the uncapitalized historical word remains valuable because it illustrates how language has recorded changing ideas of character, marriage, and social rank.
nounAn archaic English noun for a man of good character or breeding, especially one regarded as a gentleman. It can also mean a husband or, in older social usage, a commoner as distinguished from a knight or gentleman.
- An archaic term for a man of good character or breeding; a gentleman.
- An archaic or dialectal term for one's husband.
- In medieval or early modern social usage, a commoner as distinguished from a knight or gentleman.
"The village respected him as a goodman and trusted him with the affairs of the estate."
"The goodman was known throughout the parish for his honesty and fair dealings."
"She waited until her goodman returned from the market."
The standard plural is goodmen, with the vowel change found in man and men; it is chiefly encountered in archaic or historical usage.
"The village records name several goodmen who served as parish elders."
In older English, good could imply respectable rank or character, so a goodman was not necessarily merely a man who behaved well.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of goodman
Goodman is a transparent compound of the English words good and man, with forms developing during the Middle English period. Its early meanings reflected social hierarchy: good could denote honourable or gentlemanly qualities, while contrastive uses distinguished a goodman or commoner from a knight or gentleman. The separate use for a husband likewise developed within older English speech and literature.
How goodman is actually used
Goodman is now uncommon as an ordinary noun and normally sounds archaic, literary, or regional. Capitalized Goodman is also widely used as a surname. Its historical sense opposite to gentleman should not be confused with the modern moral contrast between a good person and a bad one.
Easily confused with goodman
Goodman written as one word is an archaic noun, while good man written as two words is an ordinary adjective-and-noun phrase.