majordome

butler, majordomo

noun mah-zhor-DOM Rare

Origin: Latin 'major domus' (master of the house)

Usage Note

Majordome is the head of a large household staff — the butler who manages servants and domestic affairs. The term retains a formal or aristocratic flavour; in everyday French maître d'hôtel is more common for a household manager. The word entered French from medieval Latin via Italian.

Examples

"Le majordome annonça l'arrivée des invités."

Natural Translation

The butler announced the arrival of the guests.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

Aller + Infinitive: The Easy French Future

Form the French near future in seconds: conjugate aller in the present and add an infinitive. Learn futur proche rules, negation, pronouns, and when to use it.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

French Numbers 70, 80, 90 Made Simple

French numbers 70, 80, 90 are soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, and quatre-vingt-dix. Learn three build formulas to make any number 70-99 on the fly.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

French Café Culture: How to Order Like a Local

In a French café, un café means espresso, one drink rents the table for an hour, and you must ask for the bill. Order coffee like a local with these phrases.

June 4, 2026 7 min read

FrenchNow

How to Say "I Miss You" in French (Without Errors)

"I miss you" in French is Tu me manques, not Je te manque. Learn the subject-flip behind manquer so you never text the opposite of what you mean.

June 4, 2026 6 min read