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yeoman definition

yeo·man (yō′mən)

noun pl. yeomen -·men (-mən)

  1. Historical, Brit.
    1. an attendant or manservant in a royal or noble household
    2. an assistant or subordinate, as to a sheriff
    3. a freeholder of a class below the gentry, who worked his own land
  2. Brit.
    1. a person who owns and cultivates a relatively small tract of land
    2. yeoman of the (royal) guard
    3. a member of the yeomanry (sense )
  3. U.S. Navy a petty officer assigned to clerical duty

Etymology: ME yeman, prob. contr. < yengman, yung man, lit., young man

adjective

of or characteristic of yeomen

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

yeoman Synonyms

yeoman

n.

  1. A naval clerk

    commissary clerk, ship's writer, officer's assistant, scribe*, supercargo*, quill driver*; see also clerk 2, secretary 2.

  2. A stout fellow

    common man, commoner, farmer, homesteader, freeborn man, freeholder; see also citizen, man 2.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

yeoman Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • prosperous: Eliot's father, a prosperous yeoman ( then living at Nazeing, Essex ), was able to provide him with adequate support.

Modifies a noun

  • warder: The Tower of London have some special late night entrances with private tours with the yeoman warders.

Noun used with modifier

  • king's: M ( Charter ) Wed; gr 28 Jun 1251, by K Hen III to Edmund de Lacy, king's yeoman.

Possessives

  • house: The center was a yeoman's house, erected by one Skelton.

Possessives

  • king: M ( Charter ) Thurs; gr 20 Apr 1251, by K Hen III to Edmund de Lacy, king's yeoman.
yeoman usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"yeoman." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/yeoman>

APA Style

yeoman. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/yeoman

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