Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

major-domo

 - 3 dictionary results

ma⋅jor-do⋅mo

[mey-jer-doh-moh]
–noun, plural -mos.
1. a man in charge of a great household, as that of a sovereign; a chief steward.
2. a steward or butler.
3. a person who makes arrangements for another.

Origin:
1580–90; < Sp mayordomo < ML majordomūs head of the house, equiv. to major major + domūs, gen. of domus house; see dome
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To major-domo
ma·jor-do·mo   (mā'jər-dō'mō)   
n.   pl. ma·jor-do·mos
  1. The head steward or butler in the household of a sovereign or great noble.

  2. A steward or butler.

  3. One who makes arrangements or directs affairs for another.


[Italian maggiordomo or Spanish mayordomo, both from Medieval Latin māior domūs : Latin māior, chief; see meg- in Indo-European roots + Latin domūs, genitive of domus, house; see dem- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

major-domo 
1589, via It. maggiordomo or Sp. mayordomo, from M.L. major domus "chief of the household," also "mayor of the palace" under the Merovingians, from L. major "greater" + gen. of domus "house" (see domestic).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see major-domo on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: