Pantryman

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A worker responsible for keeping the pantry stocked and looking after the food and provisions stored there
2. Someone employed to take charge of a household or institution's pantry, including its supplies and storage
3. The person who tends a larder or storeroom of provisions, handing out food and keeping the stock in order

Etymology: Pantryman is about as plain as compounds get: "pantry" with the common English suffix "-man" attached, meaning a man who works in or looks after a pantry. The pantry itself came into English from Old French "paneterie," a room for bread, from Latin "panis" meaning bread. The "-man" element is the same Old English word "man" that appears in words like "tradesman" or "craftsman." The suffix tells the story of the word's shape. In Old English "man" meant a person of either sex, and over the Middle English period "-man" settled into a suffix naming a male worker or a person connected with a particular trade or place. Pantryman therefore follows a pattern long established in the language, and the word is best understood as a straightforward formation rather than a coinage with a single famous author.

Synonyms: butler