93. Butler (See also Servant.)

1. Balderstone, Caleb archetypal faithful servant of the Ravens-woods. [Br. Lit.: Bride of Lammermoor ]
2. Bunter Lord Peter Wimsey’s foil and jack-of-all-trades. [Br. Lit.: The Nine Tailors ]
3. Crichton resourceful servant proves more than equal to his employers when household is marooned. [Br. Lit.: The Admirable Crichton ]
4. Davy Justice Shallow’s varlet; assumes identity of master. [Br. Lit.: Henry IV]
5. Face Lovewit’s house servant; connives to make profit by alchemy. [Br. Lit.: The Alchemist ]
6. French, Mr. gentleman’s gentleman for architect and motherless children. [TV: “Family Affair” in Terrace, I, 254]
7. Godfrey when the impecunious socialite is hired as a butler, he and his mistress fall in love. [Am. Cinema: My Man Godfrey in Halliwell]
8. Hudson, Mr. nostalgic, punctilious master of “downstairs.” [Br. TV: Upstairs, Downstairs ]
9. Jeeves manservant who frequently rescues his master. [Br. Lit.: novels of P. G. Wodehouse; Espy, 337]
10. Lurch Addams’s zombielike, extremely tall butler. [TV: “The Addams Family” in Terrace, I, 29]
11. Passepartout bungling foil to the punctilious Fogg. [Fr. Lit.: Around the World in Eighty Days ]

butler. The Norman office of chief butler did not develop into one of the great offices of state. The main duty was to supervise the coronation banquets, which were abandoned after the fiasco of 1821. In England the office was hereditary in the earls of Arundel and their successors the dukes of Norfolk. The chief butler of Ireland gave the name to the Butler family, earls and dukes of Ormond.

J. A. Cannon

butler servant having charge of the wine-cellar. XIII. — AN. buteler, OF. bouteillier, f. bouteille BOTTLE; see -ER4.

but·ler / ˈbətlər/ • n. the chief manservant of a house.