Factotum
/fækˈtoʊ.təm/noun
A person employed to do many different jobs.
Did you know?Factotum comes from Latin *fac totum*, a command meaning “do the whole thing,” and it survived into English as the name for an all-purpose servant or helper.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
fac totum
““do everything” — an imperative phrase, not originally a noun”
16th Century
Latin
factotum
“a servant or assistant who does many kinds of work”
17th Century
English
factotum
“an all-purpose servant, helper, or handyman”
Modern English
English
factotum
“a person employed to do many different jobs”