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Goodman

1. A familiar appellation of civility, equivalent to My friend, Good sir, Mister; sometimes used ironically. With you, goodman boy, an you please. (Shak)

2. A husband; the master of a house or family; often used in speaking familiarly. Say ye to the goodman of the house, . . . Where is the guest-chamber ? (mark xiv. 14)

in the early colonial records of new England, the term goodman is frequently used as a title of designation, sometimes in a respectful manner, to denote a person whose first name was not known, or when it was not desired to use that name; in this use it was nearly equivalent to Mr. This use was doubtless brought with the first settlers from England.

Origin: good _ man.