Dictionary

bellman en · NOUN

Etymology

From Middle English belleman, equivalent to bell + man.

Meanings

1. A town crier.
   • On arriving in that town they took lodgings, and as was the custom at that time, hired the bellman to go round announcing their arrival, their qualifications, their fame, and their terms. 1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 387:
2. A bellhop or bellboy.
   • In addition to opening doors, I would be expected to assist the bellmen and the valet parkers in tagging luggage, ticketing cars and directing limo traffic. 2009 January 24, Harry Hurt Iii, “The Inaugural Glamour as Seen From a Taxi Stand”, in New York Times:

Forms

Deriveds

bellmanship