yeoman

noun

yeo·​man ˈyō-mən 

1

a

: an attendant or officer in a royal or noble household

b

: a person attending or assisting another : retainer

c

: yeoman of the guard

d

: a naval petty officer who performs clerical duties

2

a

: a person who owns and cultivates a small farm

specifically : one belonging to a class of English freeholders below the gentry

b

: a person of the social rank of yeoman

3

: one that performs great and loyal service

did a yeoman's job in seeing the program through

Examples of yeoman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With all due respect to the yeoman’s work that Jovovich and Paul W.S. Anderson did for the Resident Evil adaptations over the years, Welcome to Raccoon City is actually the best Res movie to date. —Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2024

The offensive line did yeoman’s work and Willis hit Reed in stride at the Jacksonville 40. —Rob Reischel, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024

On the other hand, the Democratic-Republicans’ vision for the nation was based on the yeoman farmer with limited federal government and no standing army. —Lindsay M. Chervinsky / Made By History, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024

Lessening the impact of wildfires and expediting recovery can help farms and ranches do yeoman’s work to support health and the economy. —Andrew J. Whelton, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English yoman, yeman

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing yeoman

• yeoman of the guard
• yeoman's/yeoman work/service
• yeoman warder

Kids Definition

yeoman

noun

yeo·​man ˈyō-mən 

1

a

: a servant in a royal or noble household

b

: a naval petty officer who works as a clerk

2

: a small landowning farmer