What is "butler"

Butler \But"ler\ (b[u^]t"l[~e]r), n. [OE. boteler, F. bouteillier a bottle-bearer, a cupbearer, fr. LL. buticularius, fr. buticula bottle. See Bottle a hollow vessel.] An officer in a king's or a nobleman's household, whose principal business it is to take charge of the liquors, plate, etc.; the head servant in a large house.

The butler and the baker of the king of Egypt.
--Gen. xl. 5.

Your wine locked up, your butler strolled abroad.
--Pope.

late 12c., from Anglo-French buteillier "cup-bearer," from Old French boteillier "cup-bearer, butler, officer in charge of wine," from boteille "wine vessel, bottle" (see bottle (n.)). The word reflects the position's original function as "chief servant in charge of wine." In Old French, fem. boteilliere was used of the Virgin Mary as "dispenser" of the cup of Mercy.

n. 1 A manservant having charge of wines and liquors. 2 The chief male servant of a household who has charge of other employees, receives guests, directs the serving of meals, and performs various personal services. 3 A valet, a male personal attendant. vb. To buttle, to dispense wines or liquors; to take the place of a butler.

n. a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table [syn: pantryman]

A butler is a domestic worker, generally in a large household and usually the senior male servant.

Butler or Butlers may also refer to:

Butler is a utility for automating repetitive tasks in Mac OS X by Peter Maurer.

It is similar to other command centered applications like Quicksilver and LaunchBar.

see also Butler Bulldogs men's basketball

Butler was an American basketball team based in Butler, Ohio that was a member of the Central Basketball League.

Butler (dates unknown) was an English professional cricketer who made 21 known appearances in first-class matches from 1789 to 1801.

Butler( Australia) was a rugby league footballer in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) Competition.

Butler played for the Eastern Suburbs side in the 1914 season, the year they won their first City Cup.

A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its appearance. A butler is usually male, and in charge of male servants, while a housekeeper is usually a woman, and in charge of female servants. Traditionally, male servants (such as footmen) were rarer and therefore better paid and of higher status than female servants. The butler, as the senior male servant, has the highest servant status. He can also be sometimes used as a chauffeur.

In older houses where the butler is the most senior worker, titles such as majordomo, butler administrator, house manager, manservant, staff manager, chief of staff, staff captain, estate manager and head of household staff are sometimes given. The precise duties of the employee will vary to some extent in line with the title given, but perhaps, more importantly in line with the requirements of the individual employer. In the grandest homes or when the employer owns more than one residence, there is sometimes an estate manager of higher rank than the butler.

Butler is a surname that has been associated with many different places and people. It can be either:

• an English occupational name that originally denoted a servant in charge of the wine cellar, from the Norman French word butuiller. It eventually came to be used to describe a servant of high responsibility in a noble household, mostly leaving behind its association with the supply of wine.
• in Ireland, a noble family and dynasty
• a German surname, originating in Prussia before the 11th century, that gained notoriety in the High Middle Ages.
• an Anglicisation of the French surname Boutilier, Bouthillier, a cognate of the English name.

The surname “Butler” was originated in the 12th century by Theobald le Botiller FitzWalter (Lord of Preston). Lord FitzWalter accompanied King John to Ireland to help secure Norman areas. When men whom Walter led killed Dermot MacCarthy, prince of Desmond, Walter was granted land holdings of Baggotrath, County Dublin, and the Stein River lands around what is now Trinity College Dublin. He was also given an important fief, on which Walter both founded an abbey and established his Irish seat. Upon returning to England, King John endowed Walter with the hereditary office "Butler to the Lord of Ireland" in 1177; some evidence indicates that he was also dubbed "Butler of Ireland". As such, he had the right to pour the King's wine. This title can be defined as Governor by today's standards. His son, Theobalde Butler, was the first to hold the name and pass it to his descendants. Walter's grandson was James Butler, 1st Earl of Ormonde. Kilkenny Castle was the main seat of the Butler family.

Butler is a light rail station on the MBTA Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line, located at Butler Street in the Lower Mills section of the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It serves a small residential area sandwiched between the Neponset River, Cedar Grove Cemetery, and Dorchester Park. Butler station has no MBTA Bus connections. It is handicapped accessible via a wooden ramp on the station's single island platform.

New York Susquehanna & Western Railroad Station, is located in Butler, Morris County, New Jersey, United States. The station was built in 1872 by the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway and added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 24, 2002.

Butler (first name and dates unknown) was an English cricketer who played in first-class matches for London Cricket Club during the 1740s. He is recorded in cricket's oldest surviving scorecard playing for London against Slindon at the Artillery Ground on Saturday, 2 June 1744. He scored 18 runs. Slindon won by 55 runs.

As Butler had established his reputation by 1744, he must have been active for some years previously and his career probably began in the 1730s. Very few players were mentioned by name in contemporary reports and there are no other references to Butler.