See also:

• VALET (Fr. valet; O. Fr. vaslet)

VALET (Fr. valet; O. Fr. vaslet)  , a See also:

• TERM

term now restricted in meaning to that of a See also:

• GENTLEMAN (from Lat. gentilis, " belonging to a race or gens," and " man "; Fr. gentilhomme, Span. gentil hombre, Ital. gentil huomo, in its original and strict signification, a term denoting a man of good family, the Lat. generosus (its invariable transl

gentleman's See also:

• PERSONAL

personal servant . The origin of the word is debated . Du Cange (Glossarium, s . Valeti) explains it as the diminutive of vassallus, a See also:

• VASSAL (Fr. vassal, vassaut, vassault, &c,)

vassal, the sons of vassalli being termed vasseleti (and so vasleti, valeti), on the See also:

• ANALOGY (Gr. avaXo-yLa, proportion)

analogy of domicelli (damoiseaux) for the sons of domini . This view is also taken by W . W . See also:

• SKEAT, WALTER WILLIAM (1835– )

Skeat (Etym . See also:

• DIET

Diet. s . " Varlet "); but Hatzfeld and See also:

• DARMESTETER, JAMES (1849-1894)

Darmesteter (Diet. gen. de la langue francaise), dispute this derivation as phonetically impossible, preferring that from vassulittus from a hypothetical vassulus, diminutive of vassus, from which vassallus also is ultimately derived (see VASSAL) . Just as vassus was in Merovingian times the Gallo-See also:

• ROMAN

Roman word for " servitor," which the See also:

• FRANKS
• FRANKS, SIR AUGUSTUS WOLLASTON (1826-1897)

Franks borrowed to designate the domestic soldiers of their See also:

• KINGS, FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF

kings, so " See also:

• VALET (Fr. valet; O. Fr. vaslet)

valet " retained this, its See also:

• SOLE (Solea)

sole surviving sense, throughout the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle ages . Yet the phrase " gentleman's gentleman," commonly used of the See also:

• MODERN

modern valet, is more See also:

• HISTORICAL

historical than may at first sight appear . For valet, like See also:

• ESQUIRE (0. Fr. escuyer, Mod. Fr. ecuyer, derived through the form escudier from Med. Lat. scutarius, " shield-bearer ")

esquire (ecuyer), See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long signified the apprentice See also:

• STAGE (Fr. 6/age; from Lat. stare, to stand)

stage of See also:

• KNIGHTHOOD

knighthood, at first with a certain difference, the esquire being mounted, the valet unmounted, but afterwards with scarce a shade of distinction .

Later, " valet " became the usual term for gentlemen who were not knights . In See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England it was not till the See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early years of the 14th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century that valletus in this sense was superseded by armiger, and that " valet " (valete, vadlete, verlet, varlet') began to be applied to the class of See also:

• FREE

free men below the See also:

• RANK (O.Fr. rant or rent, mod. rang, generally connected with the O.E. and O.H.G. bring, a ring)

rank of esquire . In See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France the word valet, though in See also:

• SAINTONGE

Saintonge and See also:

• POITOU

Poitou it survived till the See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close of the 14th century, had elsewhere—like damciseau—much earlier been replaced generally by ecuyer as the designation of an unknighted gentleman . At the outset, " valet " had meant no more than " youth " or " boy." Thus See also:

• WACE, HENRY (1836– )

Wace in the Roman de Rou (III. v . 2903), speaking of See also:

• WILLIAM
• WILLIAM (1143-1214)
• WILLIAM (1227-1256)
• WILLIAM (1J33-1584)
• WILLIAM (A.S. Wilhelm, O. Norse Vilhidlmr; O. H. Ger. Willahelm, Willahalm, M. H. Ger. Willehelm, Willehalm, Mod.Ger. Wilhelm; Du. Willem; O. Fr. Villalme, Mod. Fr. Guillaume; from " will," Goth. vilja, and " helm," Goth. hilms, Old Norse hidlmr, meaning
• WILLIAM (c. 1130-C. 1190)
• WILLIAM, 13TH

William the Conqueror, says: See also:

• GUILLAUME
• GUILLAUME, JEAN BAPTISTE CLAUDE EUGENE (1822-1905)

Guillaume See also:

• FIR

fir vadlel petiz (" William was a little boy ") . The various developments of the word are closely parallel with those of some of its synonyms . Youth suggested both strength and service, the qualifications for See also:

• NOBILITY

nobility in a See also:

• PRIMITIVE

primitive society, where service in arms was the See also:

• TITLE (0. Fr. title, mod. titre, from Lat. titulus)

title to rank . Puer (boy) was early used, as a synonym for vassus, of the soldiers of the Frankish See also:

• BODY

body-guard (pucri ad ministerium); the See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek TEKVOV (" See also:

• CHILD
• CHILD, FRANCIS JAMES (1825-1896)
• CHILD, L
• CHILD, LYDIA MARIA (1802-1880)
• CHILD, SIR FRANCIS (1642-1713)
• CHILD, SIR JOHN (d. 1690)
• CHILD, SIR JOSIAH (163o - 1699)

child ") is etymologically related to O.H . Ger. degan, M.H. and Mod . Ger. degen, " See also:

• WARRIOR

warrior," AS. See also:

• THEGN, or THANE

thegn, " thane "; " child " itself was applied in the 13th and 14th centuries to See also:

• YOUNG
• YOUNG, A
• YOUNG, ARTHUR (1741-1820)
• YOUNG, BRIGHAM (1801-1877)
• YOUNG, CHARLES MAYNE (1777–1856)
• YOUNG, EDWARD (1683–1765)
• YOUNG, JAMES (1811-1883)
• YOUNG, THOMAS (1773-1829)

young men of See also:

• GENTLE (through the Fr. gentil, from Lat. gentilis, belonging to the same gens, or family)

gentle See also:

• BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth awaiting knighthood, as a title of dignity, and was perhaps a See also:

• TRANSLATION

translation of valet (see CHILD), with which may be compared the See also:

• SPANISH

Spanish infanzon and See also:

• GERMAN
• GERMAN, DUTCH AND SCANDINAVIAN

German See also:

• JUNKER, WILHELM (1840-1892)

junker . So, too, cniht (a "lad" or "servant "), becomes first a warrior and then develops into a title of dignity as " See also:

• KNIGHT, CHARLES (1791-1873)
• KNIGHT, DANIEL RIDGWAY (1845– )
• KNIGHT, JOHN BUXTON (1843–1908)

knight," while in See also:

• GERMANY
• GERMANY (Ger. Deutschland)

Germany the parallel word knecht remains as " servant." But valet has also shared with other synonyms a downward development . Just as "See also:

• KNAVE (O.E. cnafa, cognate with Ger. Knabe, boy)

knave" (cnafa) meant originally a boy (cf .

Ger. knabc) or servant, and has come to mean a See also:

• ROGUE

rogue, so valet in its See also:

• ENGLISH

English (15th century) See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form of " varlet ". had decayed, before it became obsolete, from its meaning of " servant " to signify a " See also:

• SCOUNDREL

scoundrel " or " See also:

• LOW, SETH (1850- )
• LOW, WILL HICOK (1853- )

low See also:

• FELLOW

fellow." See Du Cange, Glossarium (ed . See also:

• NIORT

Niort, 1887); A . See also:

• LUCHAIRE, DENIS JEAN ACHILLE (1846-1908)

Luchaire, See also:

• MANUEL, EUGENE (1823–1901)
• MANUEL, JACQUES ANTOINE (1775-1827)
• MANUEL, LOUIS PIERRE (1751-1793)

Manuel See also:

• DES

des institutions francaises (See also:

• PARIS
• PARIS (also called ALEXANDROS)
• PARIS, ALEXIS PAULIN (1800-x881)
• PARIS, BRUNO PAULIN GASTON (1839-1903)
• PARIS, FRANCOIS DE (169o-1727)
• PARIS, LOUIS PHILIPPE ALBERT
• PARIS, TREATIES OF (1814-1815)

Paris, 1892) ; P . Giulhiermoz, Essai sur l'origine de la noblesse en France au moyen See also:

• AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age (Paris, 1902); See also:

• NOTE
• NOTE (Lat. nota, mark, sign, from noscere, to know)

Note on the word " Valet " by See also:

• MAURICE (1521–1553)
• MAURICE (MAURICIUS FLAVIUS TIBERIUS) (c. 539–602)
• MAURICE [or MAURITIUS], ST (d. c. 286)
• MAURICE, JOHN FREDERICK DENISON (1805-1872)

Maurice See also:

• CHURCH
• CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
• CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
• CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
• CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
• CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)

Church, App. xix. to See also:

• SIR

Sir R . Hennell's Hist. of the Yeomen of the Guard (See also:

• WESTMINSTER
• WESTMINSTER, MARQUESSES AND DUKES OF
• WESTMINSTER, STATUTES OF
• WESTMINSTER, SYNODS OF

Westminster, 1904) . (W . A .