ayah
Americannoun
noun
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
Vocabulary lists containing ayah
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Upstairs, his mother and the ayah are arguing over his mother’s handbag.
From The New Yorker • Dec. 31, 2018
She grabs a cup from the table and shakes it at the ayah.
From The New Yorker • Dec. 31, 2018
He finds the ayah napping on the kitchen floor.
From The New Yorker • Dec. 31, 2018
“Weren’t we happy there. Take me out,” she tells the ayah, replacing her cup on its saucer.
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
