batman

batman — noun

1. a soldier of low rank whose job is to look after the daily personal needs of a s

1.nounC2
Definition

a soldier of low rank whose job is to look after the daily personal needs of a senior officer, such as preparing meals, cleaning a uniform, or carrying messages, used mainly in the British army and other forces with a similar tradition.

Example

Private Hopkins served as a batman to Major Ellis at the army camp in Kent.

pattern: a batman to + [officer name/rank]

The young batman polished the colonel's boots and laid out a clean shirt before breakfast.

typical duties: cleaning uniform and boots

Common collocations
  • serve as a batman
  • officer's batman
  • batman to the colonel
  • loyal batman
Synonyms
  • orderly

    more general military term for a soldier on personal duty, used in both British and American forces

  • aide

    broader; can be civilian or military, and often a higher-ranking officer assisting a senior commander

  • valet

    civilian equivalent — a personal male servant who looks after clothes and daily needs, with no military meaning

Grammar Patterns

a batman to + [officer]

Usage Note

Almost always associated with the British armed forces and earlier periods, especially the two World Wars. The role has largely disappeared from modern armies, so the word now appears mainly in historical writing, war memoirs, and novels rather than in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

My boss has a batman to bring his coffee.
My boss has a personal assistant to bring his coffee.
'batman' refers only to a soldier serving a military officer, not a civilian helper.
She works as a batman for the general.
She works as a personal aide to the general.
historically the role was held by male soldiers; for women or modern roles, use 'aide' or 'orderly'.

Word family

  • batmen
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a person whose job is to look after another person's daily needs, but each fits a different setting. 'Batman' is narrowly British and military: a low-ranking soldier assigned to one specific officer, mostly in writing about earlier wars. 'Orderly' is the wider military term used in both British and American forces — an orderly may serve in a hospital, a barracks, or as a personal helper, and is not tied to one officer. 'Aide' is broader still and usually higher in rank or status; a general's aide helps with planning and meetings, not boots and meals. 'Valet' is purely civilian and refers to a private male servant who manages clothing and personal items in a wealthy household. Compare: 'Major Ellis trusted his batman with everything,' but 'Lord Carlisle gave instructions to his valet about tonight's dinner jacket.'

batman ↗orderly ↗aide ↗valet

Common collocations

Nouns

  • officer's batman
  • colonel's batman
  • wartime batman

Phrases

  • serve as a batman
  • act as a batman

Prepositions

  • batman to (an officer)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word comes from an old French word 'bât', meaning a packsaddle — the wooden frame strapped to a horse or donkey to carry loads. In the French and later British armies, a 'bat-horse' or 'bat-man' was the soldier in charge of an officer's baggage horse and travelling kit. Over time the duties grew to include cleaning, cooking, and personal care, and by the 19th century 'batman' meant the officer's personal soldier-servant in general. The word is unrelated to the comic-book hero of the same spelling, which is a much later invention from 1939.