footboy en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈfʊtbɔɪ/ (UK)
Etymology
From foot + boy.
Meanings
-
(historical) A serving boy, attendant, page with similar duties to those of an adult footman.
Our troopes are now all confounded and disordered, by reason of bag and baggage, or carriages, of lackies, and foot-boies, which because of their masters armes they carry, can never leave them.
1603, Michel de Montaigne, translated by John Florio, The Essayes […], book II.9, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| footboys | Number=Plur | lexicographic |