body servant

Master's close helper

A body servant is a personal attendant who handles intimate daily tasks for their employer—dressing, bathing, grooming.

The term appears most often in historical contexts, particularly describing enslaved people assigned to serve a single master: The colonel's body servant accompanied him throughout the war.

Distinguished from household servants who perform general domestic work.

roles

valet

Personal servant or parker

butlerChief domestic servant
footmanUniformed domestic male attendant
chambermaidHotel room attendant

lady's maid · manservant · handmaiden · dresser · batman · orderly · squire · page · attendant · steward

disposition

loyal

Firm in allegiance

devotedLoyally and lovingly attached
faithfulConsistently loyal and true
discreetCareful to avoid notice

attentive · obedient · dutiful · deferential · trustworthy · reliable · dependable · unobtrusive · anticipatory · respectful

duties

dressing

Sauce for salads

bathingImmersion for cleanliness
groomingSelf-care for appearance
shavingRemoving hair with blade

hairdressing · wardrobe · toilette · personal care · laundering · mending · pressing · polishing · attending · waiting

hierarchy

master

Authority or controller

mistressIllicit female lover
householdDomestic unit of residents
liveryIdentifying uniform or colors

quarters · bells · downstairs · upstairs · staff · rank · position · employ · retinue · entourage

Opposites

proximity and intimacy of service

body servantfield hand

Agricultural labor worker

field slave · farm laborer · plantation worker · groundskeeper · stable hand

social hierarchy and power

body servantmaster

Authority or controller

lord · employer · mistress · owner · slaveholder

Family

body, servant, bodies, bodied, bodily, bodywork, bodyguard, somebody, anybody

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Negative · Rated PG