factotum
/fakˈtəʊtəm
/noun (plural factotums)
An employee who does all kinds of work: he was employed as the general factotum...
- She is perpetually and dangerously angry, bluntly refusing - although employed in a factotum capacity - to perform many of the chores she is given, often colouring her refusal with some venomous invective.
- When his grandson was born in 1604, his family of three had four servants, apart from his factotum and sole studio assistant, Francisco de Preboste.
- He worked as a general factotum at Keadeen Hotel for 37 years.
Synonyms
odd-job man, (general) handyman, general employee, man of all work, maid of all work, jack of all trades, personal assistant;
British PA;
Australian knockabout
informal (Mr) Fixit, man/girl Friday
North American informal body man
Origin
Mid 16th century (originally in the phrases dominum (or magister factotum), translating roughly as 'master of everything', and Johannes factotem 'John do-it-all' or 'Jack of all trades'): from medieval Latin, from Latin fac! 'do!' (imperative of facere) + totum 'the whole thing' (neuter of totus).