Valet vs. Butler

By Jaxson

Main Difference

The main difference between Valet and Butler is that the Valet is a male domestic workers and personal attendants to their employer and Butler is a male domestic worker in charge of all the male household staff.

  • Valet

    A valet (or varlet) is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term “valet” by itself most often refers to a normal servant responsible for the clothes and personal belongings of an employer, and making minor arrangements.

    In the United States, the term most often refers to a parking valet.

  • Butler

    A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its appearance. A butler is usually male, and in charge of male servants, while a housekeeper is usually a woman, and in charge of female servants. Traditionally, male servants (such as footmen) were rarer and therefore better paid and of higher status than female servants. The butler, as the senior male servant, has the highest servant status. He can also be sometimes used as a chauffeur.

    In older houses where the butler is the most senior worker, titles such as majordomo, butler administrator, house manager, manservant, staff manager, chief of staff, staff captain, estate manager and head of household staff are sometimes given. The precise duties of the employee will vary to some extent in line with the title given, but perhaps, more importantly in line with the requirements of the individual employer. In the grandest homes or when the employer owns more than one residence, there is sometimes an estate manager of higher rank than the butler. The butler also served drinks or post to the people of the house. The butler can also be served by a head footman or footboy called the under-butler.

    The butler was also the senior steward in a lascar ship’s crew.

Wikipedia
  • Valet (noun)

    A man’s personal male attendant, responsible for his clothes and appearance.

  • Valet (noun)

    A hotel employee performing such duties for guests.

  • Valet (noun)

    (professional wrestling) A female performer in professional wrestling, acting as either a manager or personal chaperone; often used to attract and titillate male members of the audience.

  • Valet (noun)

    A female chaperone who accompanies a man, and is usually not married to him.

  • Valet (noun)

    A person employed to clean or park cars.

  • Valet (noun)

    A person employed to assist the jockey and trainer at a racecourse.

  • Valet (noun)

    A wooden stand on which to hold clothes and accessories in preparation for dressing.

  • Valet (noun)

    A kind of goad or stick with an iron point.

  • Valet (verb)

    To serve (someone) as a valet.

  • Valet (verb)

    To clean and service (a car), as a valet does.

  • Valet (verb)

    To leave (a car) with a valet to park it.

  • Butler (noun)

    A manservant having charge of wines and liquors.

  • Butler (noun)

    The chief male servant of a household who has charge of other employees, receives guests, directs the serving of meals, and performs various personal services.

  • Butler (noun)

    A valet, a male personal attendant.

  • Butler (verb)

    To buttle, to dispense wines or liquors; to take the place of a butler.

Wiktionary
  • Valet (noun)

    a man’s personal male attendant, who is responsible for his clothes and appearance.

  • Valet (noun)

    a hotel employee who attends to the clothes of guests

    “a valet service”

  • Valet (noun)

    a person employed to clean or park cars

    “he handed his keys to the parking valet”

    “valet parking”

  • Valet (verb)

    act as a valet to (a particular man)

    “one evening when I was valeting him, Mr Charles told me he had met my father”

  • Valet (verb)

    work as a valet.

  • Valet (verb)

    clean (a car), especially on the inside

    “try not to spill anything on the seat—I just had the thing valeted”

  • Butler (noun)

    the chief manservant of a house.

Oxford Dictionary

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