Butler

Forms: 3 butuler, botyler, 3–4 buteler, 3–3 boteler, 4–5 -ere, 4 botoler, bottelar, 4–5 botelar, botil(l)er(e, botyller, botler(e, 5 buteler(e, butiller, buttiler, -are, bouteler, 5–6 butteler, buttler, 6 botteler, buttelar, butlar, 5– butler. [a. AF. butuiller = OF. bouteillier:—med.L. buticulārius, f. buticula BOTTLE sb.¹]

  1.  A servant who has charge of the wine-cellar and dispenses the liquor. Formerly also, one who hands round wine, a cup-bearer. He is now usually the head-servant of a household, who keeps the plate, etc.

c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 2092. Ðis buteler Ioseph sone for-gat [cf. Gen. xl.].

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 4497. Þe bottelar was lesed þat ilk dai.

c. 1300.  K. Alis., 834. Som to marchal, and to botileris, To knyght, to page, and to jogoleris.

1387.  Trevisa, Higden (Rolls Ser.), V. 269. [Rowena] schulde serve hym instede of his boteler.

c. 1440.  Promp. Parv., 45. Botlere [1499 boteler].

c. 1460.  Bk. Curtasye, 423, in Babees Bk., 312. Botler shalle sett for yche a messe, A pot, a lofe.

1589.  True Coppie of Disc. (1881), 50. Though any man … doo locke up their drinke and set buttlers upon it.

1598.  Stow, Surv., xi. (1603), 96. These Citizens did minister wine, as Bottelers.

1616.  Pasquil & Kath., V. 228. Bid the Butler broch fresh wine.

1727.  Swift, Gulliver, I. ii. 33. He ordered his cooks and butlers … to give me victuals and drink.

1842.  Tennyson, Day-Dream, 45. Here sits the Butler with a flask Between his knees, half-drain’d.

1859.  Geo. Eliot, A. Bede, 9. A man who had been butler ‘to the family’ for fifteen years.

  b.  fig.

1387.  Trevisa, Higden (Rolls Ser.), I. 273. Þere is the faire floure þe citee of Parys norice of þewes, botiller of lettres [pincerna litterarum].

c. 1420.  Pallad. on Husb., III. 696. And gladde be thai to stande aboute a welle That humour euer may thaire boteler be.

1594.  Mirr. Policie (1599), 265. Saint Hierom calleth it [the S. wind] the butler or pourer forth of water, because it commonly bringeth raine.

  † c.  phr. With butler’s grace: ? with a drink.

1609.  Melton, Sixefolde Polit., 33 (N.). Fidlers, who are regarded but for a baudy song … and when they haue done, are commonly sent away with Butlers grace.

  2.  An officer who originally had charge of the wine for the royal table; hence the title of an official of high rank nominally connected with the supply, importation, etc., of wine, but having different duties in different countries and at various times. (Cf. marshall, lord chamberlain, etc.)

1297.  R. Glouc., 438. Boþe Wyllam & Rychard hys sones adrentte were, And hys panyter & hys chamberleyn, & hys boteler also.

c. 1330.  Amis & Amil., 188. Sir Amis, as ye may here, He made his chef botelere, In his court for to be.

1495.  Act 11 Hen. VII., lxii. § 1. Item of the Chief Buttler of England Cli.

1587.  J. Higins, Mirr. Mag. (1610), 482 (title), How … Sir Nicholas Burdel, Chiefe Butler of Normandie, was slaine at Pontoise.

1611.  Cotgr., Grand bouteillier, the great Butler of France; an honourable officer, but out of date euer since Charles the seuenths time.

1667.  J. Chamberlayne, St. Gt. Brit., I. III. iii. (1743), 161. Edward Fitz-Theobald being long ago made Butler of Ireland, the Duke of Ormond … took the sirname of Butler.

1887.  Burke’s Peerage, 1068. James 7th Earl of Ormonde and 7th Butler had (1328) a renewed grant of the prisage of wines (which had been resumed by the crown).

  3.  Comb., as butler-like adj.; † butler’s box, ? a box into which players put a portion of their winnings at Christmas-time as a ‘Christmas-box’ for the butler (cf. BOX sb.² 5); butler’s pantry, a pantry where the plate, glass, etc., are kept.

1880.  Mrs. Eiloart, Dean’s Wife, III. ii. 16. Then his eye met that of the respectable *butler-like man opposite.

a. 1593.  H. Smith, Serm. (1866), II. 240. The law is like a *butlers-box, play still on till all come to the candlestick.

1597.  Return Parnass., Pt. 2 Prol. 44. The Pilgrimage to Pernassus, and the returne from Pernassus haue … hindred the buttlers box, and emptied the Colledge barrells.

1621.  Tract agst. Usurie (N.). The old comparison, which compares usury to the butler’s boxe, deserves to be remembred. Whilest men are at play, they feele not what they give to the boxe, but at the end of Christmas it makes all or neere all gamesters loosers.

1660.  Jer. Taylor, Duct. Dubit., III. iii. vii. § 3. Whoever lost, signor papa, like the butler’s-box, was sure to get.

1885.  Constance Cary Harrison, in Harper’s Mag., March, 544/1. An elderly cousin … was discovered … in the butler’s pantry.