livery – A company’s distinctive color scheme or emblem on vehicles is called the livery; livery first referred to the dispensing of clothes, food, or provisions to servants. More…
gardyloo – A warning cry derived from French gare de l’eau, “beware of the water”—referring to the water and slops that were once thrown by servants from higher stories of a building onto the street. More…
servants’ quarters – In Victorian days, they were usually referred to as below stairs; above stairs was the realm of the family. More…
family – First referred to the servants of a household and then to both the servants and the descendants of a common ancestor. It comes from Latin familia, “household; household servants,” which came from another Latin term, famulus, “servant.” It was not until 1667 that the term was used specifically for parents and their children. More…