ayah

American  

[ah-yuh] / ˈɑ yə /

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

Example Sentences

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

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

Upstairs, his mother and the ayah are arguing over his mother’s handbag.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 31, 2018

Upstairs, Amer finds her sitting in the dark, the ayah fanning her with a folded newspaper.

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