Etymology

houseman

H4O1U1S1E1M3A1N1

Today it means: A male follower or retainer; a male domestic worker or servant. Full definition →

First used 17th c.English house ← Middle English hous ← Old English hūs
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)kewH-der.?
  2. Proto-Germanic*hūsą
  3. Proto-West Germanic*hūs
  4. Old Englishhūs
  5. Middle Englishhous
  6. Englishhouse
  7. English todayhouseman

From house + -man.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 17th c. A male follower or retainer; a male domestic worker or servant.
  • from 1920s A medical graduate gaining practical experience in a hospital; a house officer.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.