amah

[ ah-muh, am-uh ]

/ ˈɑ mə, ˈæm ə /

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noun (in India and the Far East)

a baby's nurse, especially a wet nurse.

a female servant; maid.

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Origin of amah

1830–40; <Portuguese ama nurse, governess <Medieval Latin amma wet nurse, perhaps alteration of Latin mamma breast

Words nearby amah

Amado, amadoda, Amador Guerrero, amadou, Amagasaki, amah, amain, amakihi, Amakrokokroko, amakwerekwere, amal.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use amah in a sentence

"I was talking with my Amah—she is the girl who cares for our children," said Mrs. Worley.
Flash-lights from the Seven Seas|William L. Stidger
To be sure, he slept a great deal, or the amah would have been obliged to hand him over to a younger woman.
The Little Girl Lost|Eleanor Raper
Their voices and the answers of the serving amah filled the kitchen with noise.
The Best Short Stories of 1919|Various
Then he makes up his mind the best thing is to leave Daisy with the Amah.
East of Suez|William Somerset Maugham

I told you I wouldn't have your disgusting pipe in here, amah.
East of Suez|William Somerset Maugham

British Dictionary definitions for amah

amah

/ (ˈɑːmə, ˈæmə) /

noun

(in the East, esp formerly) a nurse or maidservant, esp one of Chinese originCompare ayah

Word Origin for amah

C19: from Portuguese ama nurse, wet nurse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012