Middle English Dictionary Entry
fọ̄t-man n.
Entry Info
| Forms | fọ̄t-man n. Also vot-, fute-. |
| Etymology |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
A soldier who fights on foot: (a) a foot soldier (as distinguished from a knight, a man-at-arms, a squire, a horseman); (b) a foot soldier armed with spear, ax, pike, etc., (as distinguished from an archer); (c) an archer.
Associated quotations
a
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)11620 : He tok him of fot men gret poer iwis.
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)3762 : Sex þousand of wiȝt men, Wele atired on gode destrers, Wiþ outen fotmen & squiers.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))1 Mac.16.5 : A copyous oost..of fotemen and horsmen [L peditum et equitum].
- c1390(?c1350) Jos.Arim.(Vrn)409 : With sixti þousent..of clene men of Armes And Fifti þousend fot-men, þat redi beþ to fihte.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.241 : Forth went knyght & sueyn & fote men alle in fere.
- c1400(?a1300) *KAlex.(LdMisc 622)1608 : Þe fote men [LinI: fotman] & þai on hors Trauailiden.
- (1418) MSS PRO in App.Bk.Lond.E.291 : Þe priour of Kylmaynan wiþ cc horsmen & ccc footemen.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)1989 : The kynge..Fittes his fotemen alls hym faire thynkkes.
- a1450(1408) *Vegetius(1) (Dc 291)20a : Þe footmen of oure oostes were armed wiþ habirgeoun, bristplate and helm on hir heued.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)3175 : Ten schilling of my trew gold a man þat is armed, And fyue to a fote-man faithely I hete.
- (a1460) Vegetius(2) (Pmb-C 243)346 : Knyght, squyer, footman, cook & cosynere And grome & page in swymmyng is to lere.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)35/15 : Ever in savying of one of thes footemen we lese ten horsemen for hym.
- a1500(?a1325) Otuel & R (Fil)1722 : Charlys made thre batayl: the furst of knytys saumfayl..that other of fotemen tho.
b
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)4096 : Icholle vre ost eche & vre bachelerye, Wiþoute archers & votmon [vr. votmen; B: fotmen, foote men], wiþ tuo þousend hors ywrye.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)7.241 : Footmen wiþ her axes made a greet strengþe of schildes and sette hem to gidres..Foot men and archeres were iset in þe bataille.
- a1450(1408) *Vegetius(1) (Dc 291)8b : Þou schul teche hym to ben an horsman or a foot man or an archer.
- a1500(a1450) Gener.(2) (Trin-C O.5.2)1931 : His archers and his foote men wele arrayed.
c
- a1500 Conq.Irel.(Rwl B.490)9 : He had Purveyed hym of xxxti knyghtes and lx Squyeris, & ccc of fote-men with bowes and arowes.
- a1450 Rich.(Cai 175/96:Weber)5105 : Off a footman a bowe he took.
2.
One who travels on foot, a pedestrian; esp., one who cannot afford a horse, a poor man.
Associated quotations
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)1.413 : Þe foot man [L viator vacuus] lereþ synge tofore þe þeef, And is wel bolder..Þan þe horsman riche and gay.
- c1390 Ilke a wys (Vrn)18 : Þou freike þat art in frendschupe fast And þenkest no foot-mon is þi fere.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)111a/a : Aquarius..is Iclepid þe hous of frendschipe of chepinges..& substaunce of ricches of king, of knyȝt, & of foteman.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)251b/a : The brere þat groweþ in feeldes..makeþ ofte foot men stomble or falle.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)6152 : Þai war..Sex hundreth thusand fute men [Göt: fotmen] þan, Wit-vten childer, wimmen and brod.
- a1425(a1382) WBible(1) (Corp-O 4)Num.11.21 : Six hundryd thousandes of foot men ben of this puple.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)174 : Fot Mann, or he þat goythe on foote: Pedester, pedes.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)8285 : Lordes riden & fotmen ran.
- (1466) Doc.in Gilbert Cal.Dublin 1325 : The two endes of Seint George ys lane be cast with a grype of dyke, and oonly a cart way laffte and a style for fotemen.
- (1475) Doc.in Sur.Soc.8527 : The fotman's cawse be for William Chawe dore is defectyffe.
3.
An attendant on foot, a foot servant.
Associated quotations
- (c1385) Chaucer CT.Kn.(Manly-Rickert)A.2728 : And eek his steede dryuen forth with staues With footmen, bothe yemen and eek knaues.
- (1454) Proc.Privy C.6.233 : Thoffice of þe stable..ij fotemen..j yoman of hors.
- (1462-3) Acc.Howard in RC 57150 : Item, delyveryd to my lordys foteman that lay seeke att Duram, xx d.
- a1475 Bk.Courtesy (Sln 1986)621 : Mony of hem fotemen þer ben, Þat rennen by þe brydels of ladys shene.
- c1450(?c1425) St.Eliz.Spalb.(Dc 114)116/12 : Oure seruauntes, footmen þat kepe oure hors, stood onys besyde hir.
- a1500 St.Jerome (Lamb 432)336/21 : O thou worthiest of men, wold god I myght be worthi to be thy ffoet-man!