What does manservant mean?
A manservant is a man who works as a personal servant, especially in a private household. The term traditionally suggested a male attendant who performed duties such as caring for clothing, arranging meals, answering the door, or carrying out errands for an employer. It can also suggest a person in a more general servant role, though modern usage normally makes the personal and often historical character of the word clear. In contemporary English, servant, attendant, and valet are more common, depending on the specific job. Manservant appears especially in older literature, historical accounts, and descriptions of aristocratic or country-house life. Its wording is explicitly gendered, so a gender-neutral alternative is preferable when the person’s role does not require that distinction. The word is useful as a precise historical label and as a vivid example of how vocabulary reflects changing social customs and attitudes toward employment and status.
nounA man employed as a personal servant, especially one who attends a member of the household or serves in a private capacity.
- A male servant employed in a private household or personal service.
"The elderly statesman employed a manservant to manage his wardrobe and daily errands."
"The count rang for his manservant whenever he required his coat or carriage."
"In the play, the manservant is the only character who recognizes how little the family values him."
The regular plural is manservants.
"Several manservants waited beside the carriage."
Once a familiar household role, manservant now sounds like a page from an old country-house novel.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of manservant
Manservant is formed in English by combining man with servant, the latter continuing Old French servant and Latin serviens, a present participle meaning “serving.” The compound first developed in Middle English and became especially common in medieval and early modern accounts of household and personal service. Its modern spelling reflects the conventional English form servant, while the wider Latin root also appears in service, servitude, servile, and conserve.
Related word forms
How manservant is actually used
The word is now chiefly historical, literary, or deliberately old-fashioned. In modern usage, servant, attendant, or valet is usually clearer and more natural, while the gendered term may be inappropriate when a specific role is not relevant.
Easily confused with manservant
A manservant is specifically a male servant, whereas servant may refer to a person of any gender.
A valet is a male personal attendant, often associated with dressing or caring for an employer, while manservant is the more general and often more historical term.