ayah

American  

[ah-yuh] / ˈɑ jə /

noun

1. an Indian maid or nurse, especially one employed in a colonial household.

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ayah British  

/ ˈaɪə /

noun

1. (in the East, Africa, and other parts of the former British Empire) a maidservant, nursemaid, or governess, esp one of Indian or Malay origin Compare amah

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Etymology

Origin of ayah

First recorded in 1775–85; from Hindi āyā, from Portuguese aia “maidservant,” from Latin avia “grandmother,” equivalent to av(us) “grandfather” + -ia feminine suffix

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ayah

Amer leaves the vegetables upstairs with the ayah and goes to Aunty Park for a walk.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 31, 2018

“They haven’t fixed it,” Amer tells the ayah.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 31, 2018

The ayah wheels her to the doors that open onto the balcony and over the threshold.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 31, 2018

He finds the ayah napping on the kitchen floor.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 31, 2018

She said she had applied for a UN job and they would all live in The Hague with a Dutch ayah to look after them.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

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