Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A private secretary or other close attendant.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A servant or assistant; especially, formerly, the private servant of a scholar; by extension, a private secretary or amanuensis.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a close attendant

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a close attendant (as to a scholar)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[German, from Latin.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin famulus.

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Examples

  • This reminds me -- not unpleasantly -- of the "famulus" social-engineering familiars in Ian McDonald's brilliant novel Out on Blue Six.

    Boing Boing: May 18, 2003 - May 24, 2003 Archives 2003

  • She was curious about the functions of a famulus, and he readily supplied her with a long list of the mostly unpleasant activities he was regularly required to perform.

    A Corridor in the Asylum 2010

  • "Wizardry was not spoken of, " the famulus responded.

    The Lives of Felix Gunderson Sugu Althomsons 2010

  • "I didn't call for you, " Clothahump admonished the famulus.

    The Lives of Felix Gunderson Sugu Althomsons 2010

  • The rest of them assembled in Clothahump's central workshop, Viz sharing a perch and whispered conversation with the wizard's famulus, Mulwit.

    The Lives of Felix Gunderson Sugu Althomsons 2010

  • Selecting a long hanging limb, the famulus attached himself to it and tucked his wings cloaklike around his body.

    A Corridor in the Asylum 2010

  • Clothahump turned from trying to refocus a finger on the jeering famulus and glanced angrily at the otter.

    A Corridor in the Asylum 2010

  • Another bolt missed the famulus by a greater margin than the first, shattered a row of glass containers on a high shelf.

    A Corridor in the Asylum 2010

  • It wasn't long before the famulus came speeding back.

    A Corridor in the Asylum 2010

  • Clothahump's famulus Mulwit stood there, rustling his great wings as he spoke to Jon-Tom, who knelt on one knee to respond to the owl.

    The Lives of Felix Gunderson Sugu Althomsons 2010

Comments

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  • For two days the painter led us through naves and cloisters hidden behind decorated façades like silver plates now blackened and worn. Wrinkled, limping famuli accompanied us.

    --Umberto Eco, 1988, Foucault's Pendulum, p. 173

    October 1, 2008

  • Wagner is Dr. Faust's famulus or laboratory assistant in Goethe's Faust.

    April 25, 2013