yeoman

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun officer in the (ceremonial) bodyguard of the British monarch
  2. noun in former times was free and cultivated his own land

Etymology

From Middle English yeman, yoman, of disputed etymology: * From Old English *ġēamann, from Proto-West Germanic *gawamann, variant of *gauwjamann (compare Old Frisian gāman (“villager”), Middle High German göuman (“peasant”)), compound of Proto-West Germanic *gawi (“shire, district”) (compare Old English -ġē, -ġēa (“district, region”) (in ælġē, Sūþriġēa), West Frisian gea, goa, Dutch gouw, German Gau) + *mann (“man”). * A contraction of yong man; compare dialectal yeomath (“aftermath”) for a possible parallel.

In classic literature

Synonyms

yeoman of the guard, beefeater

A single word — an entire dictionary opens.

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

Continue reading