Majordomos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A head servant or chief steward responsible for managing household affairs and staff
2. An official or leader in charge of overseeing operations and coordination in various settings
3. Someone who acts as a principal servant or manager, typically within a large estate or organization

Etymology: "Majordomos" is simply the plural of "majordomo," so its story is the story of that singular noun, which came into English from Italian and Spanish. The Italian "maggiordomo" and Spanish "mayordomo" both descend from Late Latin "maior domūs," meaning "steward," built from Latin "maior," "main" or "principal," and the genitive of "domus," "household." Literally, then, the title means something like "greater of the house," the person ranked above everyone else who ran the domestic establishment. The phrase traveled through the courts and great houses of southern Europe, where a steward who controlled the whole household could come to hold enormous authority. That history of real power is why the word still carries the sense of someone who runs affairs on behalf of a superior rather than a mere servant.

Synonyms: stewards, managers, butlers