Majordomo

Majordomo is a term with two main uses: a historical role in large households and a computer program used to manage Internet mailing lists.

Etymology and historical role: The word majordomo comes from Old French majordome, from Latin major dominus, meaning “chief of the house.” In medieval and early modern Europe, a majordomo was the senior administrator who oversaw domestic staff, provisioning, and event coordination for a noble or royal household. The position acted as the primary liaison between the household and external authorities or guests, and it often carried substantial managerial responsibility.

Software use and features: In computing, Majordomo is a mailing list management program designed to automate routine administrative tasks for electronic mailing lists. It originated in the early days of the Internet and became widely deployed on Unix-like systems in the 1990s and early 2000s. The software provides subscriber management, moderation workflows, digest delivery, and list archiving. Administrators configure lists and moderation rules, while subscribers interact with the system through email commands to subscribe, unsubscribe, or request information. Majordomo also includes bounce handling and integration with mail transfer agents. Over time, variants and forks emerged as the project evolved.

Legacy and context: Majordomo's popularity waned as more modern mailing list managers, such as Mailman, gained prominence and offered different features or easier administration. Today, Majordomo remains a part of Internet history as an early, influential tool for automated mailing list administration, alongside the broader history of online group communication.