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A footman (plural -men) is a male servant, notably as domestic staff. The term is also used to describe an article of furniture.

Originally the term, also called running footman, applied to a non-mounted soldier, or foot soldier (infantryman). Later, just as demobilized officers frequently kept on a good batman as private servant, the word got applied to a household servant, who usually serves—standing—at meals while the master and guests remain seated. The roughly synonymous term lackey may have a similar etymology.

Once a commonly employed servant in great houses, footmen are much rarer today, as few households can afford large retinues of servants and retainers.

The name derives from the attendants who ran beside or behind the carriages of aristocrats, many of whom were chosen for their physical attributes.

The first footman is the highest ranking and serves as deputy butler; he acts as butler in the butler's absence.

In a larger household, various footmen may be assigned specific duties (for which there may be a traditional sequence), such as the silver specialist, but usually the footmen perform a range of duties which include serving meals, opening and closing doors, carrying heavy items, or moving furniture for the housemaids to clean behind. The footmen may also double as valets, especially for visiting guests.

The footman is a British term for a metal stand, usually of polished steel or brass, and either oblong or oval in shape, for keeping plates and dishes hot before a dining room fire. A footman was useful prior to the early 20th century, before hot water was easily obtained, and when open fires were common. Although it is still in occasional use, it is now chiefly regarded as an ornament or collectable antique. The derivation of the word is probably linked to the servant, who could also have had the task of warming the dishes.

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• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• EtymologyOnLine