See Also: yeoman(medicine)
yeoman(dictionary)
yeoman(dictionary)
YEOMAN(law)

yeoman (iou)



yeoman noun. Pl. -men. Also yoman, yeman. ME.
[Prob. reduced form of young man s.v. YOUNG adjective.]
I.
Hist. A servant or attendant in a royal or noble household, typically ranking between a sergeant and a groom or between a squire and a page; an officer of a specified department or function esp. in a royal or noble household (usu. with following designation of office). Also gen., an assistant to an official, an attendant. ME.
yeoman bedel, yeoman of the wardrobe, yeoman porter, etc.
A junior naval officer or naval rating who has charge of or assists in a particular department; esp. (a) (in full yeoman of signals) a petty officer concerned with visual signalling; (b) US a petty officer performing clerical duties on board ship. M17.
engineer's yeoman, navigator's yeoman, etc.
II.
Hist. A man holding a small landed estate; a freeholder below the rank of a gentleman; spec. a person qualified by possessing free land of an annual value of 40 shillings to serve on juries, vote for the knight of the shire, etc. Also more widely, a commoner or countryman of respectable standing, esp. a person who cultivates his own land; spec. a freeman of a livery company. LME.
A man of this standing or rank serving as a (foot-)soldier. Now Hist. exc. as in sense 5 below. LME.
spec. A member of the Yeomanry force (see YEOMANRY 3). L18.
Comb. & phrases: yeoman of signals: see sense 2 above; Yeoman of the Guard a member of the bodyguard of the sovereign of England (orig. archers appointed at the accession of Henry VII, now ceremonial); yeoman pricker: see PRICKER 1(b); yeoman service, yeoman's service good, efficient, or useful service esp. at a time of need; Yeoman Usher the deputy to Black Rod; yeoman waiter: see WAITER 1c; Yeoman Warder a member of the guard of the Tower of London; yeoman work = yeoman service above.
yeomaness noun (rare) = YEOWOMAN E17.
yeoma'nette noun (US colloq., now Hist.) a woman yeoman of the US navy (esp. during and just after the war of 1914-18) E20.
yeomanhood noun the position or station of a yeoman L19.
yeomanly adjective & adverb (a) adjective having the character or status of a yeoman; pertaining to, characteristic of, or befitting a yeoman, sturdy, homely; (b) adverb in the manner befitting a yeoman, like a yeoman, doughtily, handsomely: LME.