handmaid
Americannoun
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handmaids
plural
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something that is necessarily subservient or subordinate to another.
Ceremony is but the handmaid of worship.
-
a female servant or attendant.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of handmaid
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at hand, maid
Explanation
Handmaid is an old fashioned word for a housekeeper or servant. Wealthy people living in grand houses once employed handmaids to clean for and serve them. You're most likely to come across the word handmaid in a book these days, since in-house "help" is more likely to be called a "cleaner," "housekeeper," or, rarely, a "maid." Years ago, handmaids were employed to work closely with their employers, sometimes as "ladies-in-waiting," assistants to queens and other royals. The term comes from maid, "young woman," and the "close-at-hand" sense of hand.
Vocabulary lists containing handmaid
"Market Women" and "Soup for the Soul"
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Pre-AP Theatre
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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.
See Examples For:
She is the handmaid in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
And this is exactly the problem the handmaid comparison ignores.
From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2020
The Washington Post also was first to report that Barrett was listed as a handmaid, or female leader, in a 2010 directory.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 14, 2020
Until recently, the group used the term “handmaids” to refer to female leaders, inspired by a biblical reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus, as “the handmaid of the Lord.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 8, 2020
"I have won no victories," she tried telling her handmaid when the bell tinkled softly.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Atwood’s 1985 novel about a futuristic patriarchal society where the robed handmaids are forced to bear children for leaders, has reemerged in recent years as a cultural touchstone thanks to the popular TV series.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 16, 2023
Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” includes actors of color among Gilead’s ruling theocracy and its subjugated handmaids.
From New York Times ● Sep. 29, 2022
Margaret Atwood’s dystopian Gilead centers on a hierarchical system of red-clad handmaids and blue-draped wives.
From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2020
Some women in leadership positions used to be called handmaids, but now are referred to as “women leaders,” Lent said, to avoid the perception of servility.
From Reuters ● Sep. 26, 2020
He towered over Aggo and Jhogo now, as her handmaids had both noticed.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
