amah

American  

[ah-muh, am-uh] / ˈɑ mə, ˈæm ə /

noun

1. a baby's nurse, especially a wet nurse.

2. a female servant; maid.

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amah British  

/ ˈɑːmə, ˈæmə /

noun

1. (in the East, esp formerly) a nurse or maidservant, esp one of Chinese origin Compare ayah

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Etymology

Origin of amah

First recorded in 1830–40; from Portuguese ama “nurse, governess” from Medieval Latin amma “wet nurse,” perhaps alteration of Latin mamma “breast”

Example Sentences

Boonnitipat says much of his own amah shows up in the character.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2025

Their monthly wage bill for a cook, a washing and cleaning amah, and their baby's amah amounts to only $151.

From Time Magazine Archive

I finally managed to persuade them to let me take the child out for a walk, and the amah even consented to do it too.

From Time Magazine Archive

She had a horror of untidiness: an English friend describes how she impatiently snatched a dustcloth from a shiftless amah one day and dusted a whole room, exclaiming against dirt.

From Time Magazine Archive

Lin Nai-Nai, my amah, was the only one around, and of course I knew she’d be there.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz