majordomo

/ˌmeɪ.d͡ʒəˈdəʊ.məʊ/

//ˌmeɪ.d͡ʒəˈdəʊ.məʊ// noun

"majordomo" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“majordomo” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The head servant or official in a royal Spanish or Italian household; later, any head servant in a wealthy household in a foreign country; a leading servant or butler.

Corpus desk

Index EN-majordomo · majordomo · English

majordomo · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for majordomo
PropertyValue
Headwordmajordomo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌmeɪ.d͡ʒəˈdəʊ.məʊ/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “majordomo” in English

majordomoranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

majordomo is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌmeɪ.d͡ʒəˈdəʊ.məʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for majordomo in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Italian maggiordomo and Spanish mayordomo, from Late Latin maior domūs (“steward”), from Latin maior (“main, principal”) + genitive singular of domus (“household”). The correct English form is majordomo, spelled M-A-J-O-R-D-O-M-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    The head servant or official in a royal Spanish or Italian household; later, any head servant in a wealthy household in a foreign country; a leading servant or butler.
  2. 2
    A manager of a hacienda, ranch or estate.
  3. 3
    Any overseer, organizer, person in command.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how majordomo appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Pancho, the major-domo, came up to say that Colonel Morales was waiting below. Appleby bade him bring out cigars and wine, and rose from his seat when Morales came in.
  2. In return for ruling over the king's palace, serving as the monarch's alter ego in the domestic sphere, and bearing the burden of accountability, the majordomo was compensated amply.

Etymology

From Italian maggiordomo and Spanish mayordomo, from Late Latin maior domūs (“steward”), from Latin maior (“main, principal”) + genitive singular of domus (“household”).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "majordomo"?
"majordomo" is spelled M-A-J-O-R-D-O-M-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌmeɪ.d͡ʒəˈdəʊ.məʊ/.
What does "majordomo" mean?
As a noun, "majordomo" means: The head servant or official in a royal Spanish or Italian household; later, any head servant in a wealthy household in a foreign country; a leading servant or butler.
How do you pronounce "majordomo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "majordomo" is /ˌmeɪ.d͡ʒəˈdəʊ.məʊ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "majordomo"?
From Italian maggiordomo and Spanish mayordomo, from Late Latin maior domūs (“steward”), from Latin maior (“main, principal”) + genitive singular of domus (“household”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list