Etymology From Middle English steward, stiward, from Old English stiġweard (“steward, housekeeper, one who has the superintendence of household affairs, guardian”), from stiġ (“a wooden enclosure; house, hall”) + weard (“ward, guard, guardian, keeper”), equivalent to sty + ward. Compare Icelandic stívarður (“steward”). More at sty, ward.
A person who manages the property or affairs for another entity.
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Historical A chief administrator of a medieval manor.
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Nautical, Transport A ship's officer who is in charge of making dining arrangements and provisions.
There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy. Mail bags, so I understand, are being put on board. Stewards, carrying cabin trunks, swarm in the corridors. Passengers wander restlessly about or hurry, with futile energy, from place to place.1915, G[eorge] A. Birmingham [pseudonym; James Owen Hannay], chapter I, in Gossamer, New York, N.Y.: George H. Doran Company, →OCLC:
The gay Kibbutzniks I met were all ex-Kibbutzniks who were curretly holding jobs as El-Al stewards or in some similarly classic gay professions.1974 February 9, Joe, “Reactions”, in Gay Community News, volume 1, number 33, page 6:
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A union member who is selected as a representative for fellow workers in negotiating terms with management.
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A person who has charge of buildings, grounds, or animals.
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Someone responsible for organizing an event
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A bartender.
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A fiscal agent of certain bodies.
a steward in a Methodist church
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A junior assistant in a Masonic lodge.
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Education, Higher education An officer who provides food for the students and superintends the kitchen; also, an officer who attends to the accounts of the students.
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Scotland A magistrate appointed by the crown to exercise jurisdiction over royal lands.
These lands must have been retained by some earlier Steward, perhaps Walter II (1204-41), when most of Erskine had been made into a fief for Henry, first known ancestor of the Erskine family.2001, The Innes Review:
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Computing, Engineering, Information technology, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Somebody who is responsible for managing a set of projects, products or technologies and how they affect the IT organization to which they belong.
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Hobbies, Lifestyle, Motor racing, Racing, Sports A person who is responsible for the arbitration of incidents at a motor racing event and determining whether or not fines or penalties should be issued for such incidents.
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A person who exercises responsible and caring administration of something; a person who exhibits stewardship.
Etymology From Middle English steward, stiward, from Old English stiġweard (“steward, housekeeper, one who has the superintendence of household affairs, guardian”), from stiġ (“a wooden enclosure; house, hall”) + weard (“ward, guard, guardian, keeper”), equivalent to sty + ward. Compare Icelandic stívarður (“steward”). More at sty, ward.
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To act as the steward or caretaker of (something)
Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski, a Democrat from Middlesex County, said, “It’s an uncomfortable situation,” but added that Mr. Codey is nevertheless “ably stewarding the state.”2007 May 1, Richard G. Jones, “An Acting Governor’s Balancing Act: Taking the Lead Without Stepping on Toes”, in New York Times: