handmaid

[ hand-meyd ]

/ ˈhændˌmeɪd /

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noun

something that is necessarily subservient or subordinate to another: Ceremony is but the handmaid of worship.

a female servant or attendant.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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Also hand·maid·en

[hand-meyd-n] /ˈhændˌmeɪd n/ .

Origin of handmaid

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at hand, maid

Words nearby handmaid

handload, hand log, handloom, handloomed, handmade, handmaid, handmaiden, hand-me-down, hand-me-up, hand mower, hand-off

How to use handmaid in a sentence

The Handmaid only finds liberation when she steals out of her room to bed the chauffeur.
The Bizarre Case Against Gay Marriage|Linda Hirshman|January 29, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Gaze not upon another man's wife, and be not inquisitive after his handmaid, and approach not her bed.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
But you found me giving a lesson in Armenian to this handmaid?
Lavengro|George Borrow
Geometry is desirable, not as a noble intellectual exercise, but as a handmaid to natural philosophy.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume VI|John Lord

As time went on she came to entertain the clearest views as to science being the handmaid of religion.
The Open Question|Elizabeth Robins
Friendship was given us by nature as the handmaid of virtues and not as the companion of our vices.
Questionable Amusements and Worthy Substitutes|J. M. Judy