handmaid

[ hand-meyd ]

/ ˈhændˌmeɪd /

Save This Word!

noun

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

a female servant or attendant.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

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

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