English

Noun

factotum ‎(plural factotums)

1. (dated) A person having many diverse activities or responsibilities.
2. (dated) A general servant.
   • 1847, Herman Melville, Omoo, Chapter 73,

     I had almost forgotten Monee, the grinning old man who prepared our meal. […] He was Po-Po’s factotum—cook, butler, and climber of the bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees; and, added to all else, a mighty favourite with his mistress; with whom he would sit smoking and gossiping by the hour.

3. A jack of all trades.
4. An individual employed to do all sorts of duties.

Synonyms

• (jack of all trades): handyman, jack of all trades, sciolist
• (general servant): do-all

Translations

References

• factotum in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɑkˈtoː.tʏm/
• Hyphenation: fac‧to‧tum

Etymology

From New Latin factotum ‎(literally “do everything”), from Latin fac, present singular imperative of faciō ‎(“do, make”) + tōtum ‎(“everything”).

Noun

factotum m ‎(plural factotums, diminutive factotumpje n)

1. factotum (jack-of-all-trades)

Synonyms

• manusje-van-alles
• klusjesman

Italian

Noun

factotum m ‎(invariable)

1. An individual employed to do all sorts of duties.