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A footman, plural -men, is a male servant, notably as domestic staff.
Word history
Originally the term, also called Running footman, applied to a non-mounted soldier, or fot solider (infantryman). Later, just as demobilized officers frequently kept on a good batman as private servant, the word got applied to a household servant, who usually serves -standing- at meals while he master and guests remain seated. The roughly synonymous term lackey may have a similar etymology.
Domestics
Once a commonly employed servant in great houses, footmen are much rarer today, as few households can afford large retinues of servants and retainers.
The name derives from the attendants who ran beside or behind the carriages of aristocrats, many of whom were chosen for their physical attributes.
The first footman is the highest ranking and serves as deputy butler; he acts as butler in the butler's absence.
In a larger household, various footmen may be assigned specific duties (for which there may be a traditional sequence), such as the silver specialist, but usually the footmen perform a range of duties which include serving meals, opening and closing doors, carrying heavy items, or moving furniture for the housemaids to clean behind. The footmen may also double as valets, especially for visiting guests.
Homonym furniture
A metal stand, usually of polished steel or brass, and either oblong or oval in shape, for keeping plates and dishes hot before a dining room fire.
In the days before the general use of hot-water dishes the footman possessed definite utility, but although it is still in occasional use, it is now chiefly regarded as an ornament. It was especially common in the hardware counties of England, where it is still frequently seen; the simple conventionality of its form is not inelegant.
Sources and references
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"Footman"