butler

[ buht-ler ]
See synonyms for butler on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the chief male servant of a household, usually in charge of serving food, the care of silverware, etc.

  2. a male servant having charge of the wines and liquors.

  1. a tray or other receptacle used to serve drinks or food.

verb (used with object)
  1. to serve (drinks, hors d’oeuvres, etc.) by walking around among guests:Our waitstaff will butler cocktails on silver trays. The butlered appetizers are all gluten-free.

Origin of butler

1
First recorded in1250–1300; Middle English buteler, from Anglo-French butuiller, Old French bouteillier, from Medieval Latin butticulārius, derivative of butticula ; see bottle1, -er2, -ier2

Other words from butler

  • but·ler·like, adjective
  • but·ler·ship, noun
  • un·der·but·ler, noun

Words Nearby butler

Other definitions for Butler (2 of 2)

Butler
[ buht-ler ]

noun
  1. Benjamin Franklin, 1818–93, U.S. politician and a Union general in the Civil War.

  2. Joseph, 1692–1752, English bishop, theologian, and author.

  1. Nicholas Murray, 1862–1947, U.S. educator: president of Columbia University 1902–45; Nobel Peace Prize 1931.

  2. Pierce, 1866–1939, U.S. jurist: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1923–39.

  3. Samuel, 1612–80, English poet.

  4. Samuel, 1835–1902, English novelist, essayist, and satirist.

  5. Smedley Dar·ling·ton [smed-lee dahr-ling-tuhn], /ˈsmɛd li ˈdɑr lɪŋ tən/, 1881–1940, U.S. Marine Corps general.

  6. a city in W Pennsylvania.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use butler in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for butler (1 of 2)

butler

/ (ˈbʌtlə) /


noun
  1. the male servant of a household in charge of the wines, table, etc: usually the head servant

Origin of butler

1
C13: from Old French bouteillier, from bouteille bottle 1

British Dictionary definitions for Butler (2 of 2)

Butler

/ (ˈbʌtlə) /


noun
  1. Joseph . 1692–1752, English bishop and theologian, author of Analogy of Religion (1736)

  2. Josephine (Elizabeth). 1828–1906, British social reformer, noted esp for her campaigns against state regulation of prostitution

  1. Reg, full name Reginald Cotterell Butler . 1913–81, British metal sculptor; his works include The Unknown Political Prisoner (1953)

  2. R (ichard) A (usten), Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, known as Rab Butler . 1902–82, British Conservative politician: Chancellor of the Exchequer (1951–55); Home Secretary (1957–62); Foreign Secretary (1963–64)

  3. Samuel . 1612–80, English poet and satirist; author of Hudibras (1663–78)

  4. Samuel . 1835–1902, British novelist, noted for his satirical work Erewhon (1872) and his autobiographical novel The Way of All Flesh (1903)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012