This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

A valet in 19th century India.

Valet and Varlet are terms for male servants. This article is about a French film. ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Valet. ... Image File history File links Valet. ... This article is about the Male sex. ... It has been suggested that servant (domestic) be merged into this article or section. ...

Etymology

In English, valet "personal man-servant" is recorded since 1567, derived from the French valet (the t being silent), an Old French variant of vaslet "man's servant," originally "squire, young man," assumed to be from Gallo-Romance *vassellittus "young nobleman, squire, page," diminutive of Medieval Latin vassallus, from vassus "servant", itself from an Old Celtic root wasso- "young man, squire" (cognate of Welsh gwas "youth, servant," Breton goaz "servant, vassal, man," Irish foss "servant"). See yeoman possibly derived from yonge man. Look up vassal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Yeoman is a word with several modern and historical meanings. ...

The modern use is usually short for the valet de chambre (French for 'chamber valet') described in the following section. In American English, the word is nowadays generally pronounced with a silent 't', as in French, the older pronunciation in which the 't' was pronounced (so 'valet' rhymes with 'pallet') being considered old-fashioned or even ignorant, in the British lexicon the correct pronunciation of 'valet' is similar to the original French, using a silent 't'. It rhymes with 'chalet'. Chalet is featured prominently in a the popular chorus of the song Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)". There is sometimes a valet at a chalet, and it is customary to tip two dollars, according to DVD.

Domestic valet

A valet or gentleman's gentleman is a gentleman's male servant, the closest male equivalent to a lady's maid. The valet performs personal services such as maintaining his employer's clothes, running his bath and perhaps (especially in the past) shaving his employer. In a great house the master of the house had his own valet, in the grandest the same would go for other adult members of the employing family (e.g. master's sons), at a court even minor princes and high officials may be assigned one, but in a smaller household the butler (the majordomo in charge of the household staff) might have to double as his employer's valet. In a bachelor's household the valet might perform light housekeeping duties as well. Valets, like butlers and most specialized domestic staff, have become relatively rare, and a more common — though still infrequent — arrangement is the general servant performing combined roles. It has been suggested that servant (domestic) be merged into this article or section. ... A ladys maid is a female personal attendant who waits on the lady of the house. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Master is an English title. ... For other uses see Butler (disambiguation) The butler is a senior servant in a large household. ... A housekeeper is an individual responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the interior of a residence. ...

Traditionally a valet did much more than merely lay out clothes and take care of personal items. He was also responsible for making travel arrangements, dealing with any bills and handling all money matters concerning his master or his master's household. Alexandre Bontemps, the most senior of the thirty-six valets to Louis XIV of France, was an extremely powerful figure, who ran the Chateau de Versailles. The Chateau of Marly, Louiss holiday home; one of Bontempss responsibilities Alexandre Bontemps (1626 - 1701) was the valet of King Louis XIV and a powerful figure at the court of Versailles, respected and feared for his exceptional access to the King. ... Louis XIV redirects here. ... Versailles: Louis Le Vau opened up the interior court to create the expansive entrance cour dhonneur, later copied all over Europe Monument of Louis XIV in the cour dhonneur The Château de Versailles —or simply Versailles— is a royal château, outside the gates of which the...

Famous fictional valets

See also: List of fictional butlers

• Jeeves, created in 1915 by P. G. Wodehouse, starred in a series of stories until Wodehouse's death in 1975; Reginald Jeeves is considered the "personification of the perfect valet" since 1930, inspired the name of Internet search engine Ask Jeeves (from 1996 to 2006, now Ask.com), and is now a generic term in dictionaries such as the Oxford English Dictionary.
• Mervyn Bunter, created in 1923 by Dorothy L. Sayers in the Lord Peter Wimsey series, likewise a paragon of discreet competence, taking his duties beyond what was expected of a valet to help his master.
• Giles French, from the TV series Family Affair (later functioned as the family butler).
• Hobson (Sir John Gielgud), from the comedy film Arthur (1981).
• Kato, valet and sidekick to Britt Reid a.k.a. The Green Hornet.
• Kato, Inspector Clouseau's valet and martial arts partner in the Pink Panther movies.
• Rochester Van Jones, played on radio and television by Eddie Anderson on the Jack Benny Show.
• Passepartout, in the 1872 novel Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne.
• Georges, created by Agatha Christie in the Hercule Poirot novels.
• Edward Henry Masterman, the victim's valet and a suspect in Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.
• Figaro, the Count of Almaviva's valet from Beaumarchais' play The Marriage of Figaro.
• Spicer Lovejoy (David Warner), valet and bodyguard to Caledon Hockley in the film Titanic (1997).
• La Fleche, Cleante's valet in the Miser.
• Saturnin, valet in the novel and movie Saturnin written by Zdeněk Jirotka.
• Mr. Probert (Derek Jacobi), valet to Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon), and Robert Parks (Clive Owen), valet to Lord Stockbridge (Charles Dance), in the 2001 film Gosford Park, directed by Robert Altman.
• Fonzworth Bentley, a character created by Derek Watkins as a valet to Sean "Diddy" Combs.
• Mr. Belvedere, movie and television show starring Christopher Hewitt and Bob Ueker.
• Baptistin, in The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

A list of fictional butlers, handymen, and related characters: Alfred Pennyworth - Bruce Waynes butler in the Batman universe Aloysius Parker - Lady Penelope Creighton-Wards butler in Thunderbirds (TV series) Barrymore - in The Hound of the Baskervilles Lynn Belvedere - from the novel Belvedere, the adapted feature film and its... Jeeves, here portrayed by Stephen Fry in ITVs Jeeves and Wooster series, is P.G. Wodehouses most famous character. ... Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE (15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) (IPA: ) was a comic writer who has enjoyed enormous popular success for more than seventy years. ... ask. ... The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is the most successful dictionary of the English language, (not to be confused with the one-volume Oxford Dictionary of English, formerly New Oxford Dictionary of English, of... Mervyn Bunter is a fictional character created by Dorothy L. Sayers in her Lord Peter Wimsey stories. ... Dorothy Leigh Sayers (Oxford, 13 June 1893 – Witham, 17 December 1957) was a renowned British author, translator, student of classical and modern languages, and Christian humanist. ... Early paperback edition cover of Murder Must Advertise Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey is a fictional character in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers, in which he solves mysteries — usually murder mysteries. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... // Family Affair Family Affair was a situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966 to September 9, 1971. ... Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH (14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000), known as Sir John Gielgud, was an English theatre and film actor. ... Arthur is a 1981 film which tells the story of drunken playboy millionaire Arthur Bach (Dudley Moore), who was on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress, Susan Johnson (Jill Eikenberry). ... The Green Hornet with Kato below the title character. ... For other uses, see Sidekick (disambiguation). ... The Green Hornet is a fictional crimefighter. ... Peter Sellers in one of a number of appearances as Inspector Clouseau Inspector Jacques Clouseau (later chief inspector) is a fictional detective in Blake Edwardss Pink Panther series. ... This article is about the Pink Panther film series. ... Eddie Anderson (September 18, 1905 - February 28, 1977), often known as Eddie Rochester Anderson, was a black comic actor who became famous playing Rochester van Jones (usually known simply as Rochester), the valet to Jack Bennys eponymous title character on the long-running radio and television series The Jack... Jack Benny (February 14, 1894 in Chicago, Illinois – December 26, 1974 in Beverly Hills, California), born Benjamin Kubelsky, was an American comedian, vaudeville performer, and radio, television, and film actor. ... Passepartout, the name given by Jules Verne to the French Valet in the novel, Around the World in Eighty Days. ... Around the World in Eighty Days (French: ) is a classic adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in 1873. ... This article is about the French author. ... Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), commonly known as Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. ... David Suchet as Hercule Poirot in The Dream Hercule Poirot (pronounced in english ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. ... For other uses, see Murder on the Orient Express (disambiguation). ... Figaro may refer to any of the following: Figaro, the central character in the comedies, The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Guilty Mother by Pierre de Beaumarchais. ... Beaumarchais Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (January 24, 1732 - May 18, 1799) was, among other accomplishments, a writer and librettist. ... Le nozze di Figaro ossia la folle giornata (Trans: ), K. 492, is an opera buffa (comic opera) composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, Le mariage de Figaro (1784). ... Spicer Lovejoy (1850 — 15 April 1912) was a fictional character in James Camerons 1997 blockbuster Titanic. ... David Warner David Warner (born July 29, 1941 in Manchester, England) is an English actor who often plays sinister or evil characters. ... Caledon Cal Nathan Hockley (1882 — 1929) is a fictional character, the villain of James Camerons 1997 blockbuster Titanic. ... Titanic is a 1997 American romantic drama film directed, written, produced and edited by James Cameron about the sinking of the RMS Titanic. ... LAvare is a 1668 five-act satirical comedy by French playwright Molière. ... Saturnin is a 1942 humorous novel by Zdeněk Jirotka, with characters like the dangerous servant Saturnin, the annoying Aunt Kateřina and her son Milouš, Uncle František, Doctor Vlach, and the narrators grandfather. ... Saturnin is a 1942 humorous novel by Zdeněk Jirotka, with characters like the dangerous servant Saturnin, the annoying Aunt Kateřina and her son Milouš, Uncle František, Doctor Vlach, and the narrators grandfather. ... Zdeněk Jirotka (1911 - 2003) was a Czech writer which was born in Ostrava. ... Sir Derek George Jacobi, CBE (IPA: ) (born 22 October 1938) is an English actor and director, knighted in 1994 for his services to the theatre. ... Sir Michael John Gambon, KBE (born October 19, 1940), is an acclaimed Irish-British actor who has worked in television, film and theatre. ... Clive Owen (born October 3, 1964) is a Golden Globe and BAFTA winning critically acclaimed English actor, now a regular performer in Hollywood and independent American films. ... Charles Dance OBE (born October 10, 1946 in Redditch, Worcestershire) is an English actor. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... For other persons named Robert Altman, see Robert Altman (disambiguation). ... Fonzworth Bentley (b. ... Sean Diddy Combs Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969, aka Sean Puffy Combs, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy) is a record producer, entrepreneur, and rapper. ... The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. ... Alexandre Dumas redirects here. ...

Other valets

Valet is also used for people performing specific services:

• hotel valet — an employee who performs personal services for guests.
• parking valet – a service employee who parks cars for guests, only from 1960.
• car valet — an employee who is paid to clean people's cars professionally.
• valet — a professional wrestling term for a person who accompanies a wrestler to the ring - originally a beefy man but now usually a busty woman.

Other forms of valet-like personnel include: For other uses, see Hotel (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In professional wrestling, a manager is a character who is paired with a wrestler. ... For the video game, see Pro Wrestling (video game). ...

• Batman
• Bedder
• Dresser

A batman is a soldier assigned to a commissioned officer as a personal servant. ... A bedder is short for a bedmaker and is a housekeeper in a college of the University of Cambridge. ...

Objects

In playing cards, "Valet" is another name for a Jack. For the Russian group of artists, see Jack of Diamonds (artists). ... The jack is a playing card with a picture of a young man on it. ...

Clothes valet

Main article: clothes valet

Clothes valets are also referred to as a mens valet. A majority are free standing and made out of wood. Clothes valet, also called mens valet and valet stand, is an implement on which clothes may be hung. ...

Varlet

While in French this word remained restricted to the feudal use for a (knight's) squire, in modern English it came to be used for the various other male servants originally called va(r)let other than the gentleman's gentleman, when in livery usually called lackey, such as the valet de pied ('foot varlet', compare footman) . In archaic English, varlet also could mean an unprincipled person; a rogue. For other uses, see Squire (disambiguation). ... Rather unusually, these Angels wear white hart (deer) badges, with the personal livery of King Richard II of England, who commissioned this, the Wilton diptych, about 1400 A livery is a uniform or other sign worn in a non-military context on a person or object (such as an airplane... A lackey is a manservant, in its original meaning (attested 1529, according to the OED), which derived from Medieval French laquais foot soldier, footman, servant. ... A footman is a male household servant. ... In language, an archaism is the deliberate use of an older form that has fallen out of current use. ... Look up rogue in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Sources

• EtymologyOnLine
• Nouveau Petit Larousse Illustré (in French, 1952)

See also

• Valet boy
• Valet seating
• Personal assistant
• Radar O'Reilly

Valet boy (Malay: Jaga kereta) is a term used in Malaysia to refer to people illegally collecting parking fees at the roadside. [1] Valet boys usually appear in a gang of 2-5 persons (where some are drug addicts). ... Valet seating is a service offered to consumers, who seek personal and professional assistance in obtaining seating arrangements to live events (i. ... A personal assistant, personal aide, or PA for short, is someone who assists in daily personal tasks. ... Corporal “Radar” O’Reilly is a fictional character in the M*A*S*H novels, the film, the television series, the television movie, W*A*L*T*E*R, and two episodes of the series, After M*A*S*H. The character was portrayed by Gary Burghoff in both the...

External links