n. (pl. -men) 1 esp. hist. a man holding and cultivating a small landed estate. 2 hist. a person qualified by possessing free land of an annual value of 40 shillings to serve on juries, vote for the knight of the shire, etc. 3 Brit. a member of the yeomanry force. 4 hist. a servant in a royal or noble household. 5 (in full yeoman of signals) a petty officer in the Navy, concerned with visual signalling. 6 US a petty officer performing clerical duties on board ship. Yeoman of the Guard 1 a member of the British sovereign's bodyguard. 2 (in general use) a warder in the Tower of London. yeoman (or yeoman's) service efficient or useful help in need. Yeoman Usher Brit. the deputy of Black Rod. yeomanly adj.
[ ME yoman, yeman, etc., prob. f. YOUNG + MAN ]