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Avalet orvarlet is a maleservant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In theMiddle Ages andAncien Régime,valet de chambre was a role for juniorcourtiers and specialists such as artists in aroyal 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 aparking valet, and the role is often confused with abutler.
In English,valet as "personal man-servant" is recorded since 1567, though use of the term in the French-speaking English medieval court is older, and the variant formvarlet is cited from 1456 (OED). Both are French importations ofvalet orvarlet (the "t" being silent in modern French), Old French variants ofvaslet "man's servant", originally "squire, young man", assumed to be from Gallo-RomanceVulgar Latin *vassellittus "young nobleman, squire, page", diminutive ofMedieval Latinvassallus, fromvassus "servant", possibly cognate to anOld Celtic rootwasso- "young man, squire" (source of Welshgwas "youth, servant", Bretongoaz "servant, vassal, man", Irishfoss "servant"). Seeyeoman, possibly derived fromyonge man, a related term.
The modern use is usually short for thevalet de chambre (French for "room valet", in modern terms the bedroom, though not originally so), described in the following section.
Since the 16th century, the word has traditionally been pronounced as rhyming withpallet, though an alternative pronunciation, rhyming witharray andallay, as in French, is now common, particularly in the United States.[1] TheOxford English Dictionary lists both pronunciations.
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A valet or "gentleman's gentleman" is a gentleman's maleservant; the closest female equivalent is alady's maid. The valet performs personal services such as maintaining his employer's clothes, running his bath and perhaps (especially in the past) shaving his employer.
In agreat house, themaster of the house had his own valet, and in the very grandest great houses, other adult members of the employing family (e.g. master's sons) would also have their own valets.
At a court, even minor princes and high officials may be assigned one, but in a smaller household thebutler – themajordomo in charge of the household staff – might have to double as his employer's valet. In a bachelor's household the valet might perform lighthousekeeping duties as well.
Valets learned the skills for their role in various ways. Some began asfootmen, learning some relevant skills as part of that job, and picking up others when deputising for their master's valet, or by performing valeting tasks for his sons before they had a valet of their own, or for male guests who did not travel with a valet. Others started out as soldier-servants to army officers (batmen) orstewards to naval officers.
Traditionally, a valet did much more than merely lay out clothes and take care of personal items. He was also responsible for making travel arrangements, dealing with any bills and handling all money matters concerning his master or his master's household.
Alexandre Bontemps, the most senior of the thirty-six valets toLouis XIV of France, was a powerful figure, who ran theChâteau de Versailles. Incourts,valet de chambre was a position of some status, often given to artists, musicians, poets and others, who generally spent most of their time on their specialized work. The role was also, at least during the lateMiddle Ages and theRenaissance, a common first step or training period in a nobleman's career at court.
Valets, like butlers and most specialized domestic staff, have become relatively rare. A more common, though still infrequent, arrangement is the general servant performing combined roles.
A notable 20th century domestic valet wasSydney Johnson who served as personal valet to theDuke of Windsor and later to the businessmanMohamed Al-Fayed.[2]
Another notable person isWalt Nauta, a former military valet, who worked at theWhite House and later atMar-a-Lago asDonald Trump's personal valet. On July 6, 2023, he pleaded not guilty for allegedly moving boxes of classified materials at Mar-a-Lago.[3][4]
Valet is also used for people performing specific services:
Other forms of valet-like personnel include:
Clothes valets are a piece of furniture also referred to as a men's valet. A majority are free standing and made out of wood.
While in French this word remained restricted to the feudal use for a (knight's)squire, in modern English it came to be used for the various other male servants originally called va(r)let other than the gentleman's gentleman, when inlivery usually calledlackey, such as thevalet de pied ('foot varlet', comparefootman). Inarchaic English,varlet also could mean an unprincipled man; arogue.
Notes
Sources
The dictionary definition ofvalet at Wiktionary