handmaid

American  

[hand-mayd] / ˈhændˌmeɪd /

Also handmaiden

noun

• handmaids
  plural

1. something that is necessarily subservient or subordinate to another.

   Ceremony is but the handmaid of worship.

2. a female servant or attendant.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• handmaids
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of handmaid

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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

handmaid handmaids

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

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

The handmaid lives to tell her tale and Gilead, too, crumbles in the end.

From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2020

When she emerged from the lake, shivering and dripping, her handmaid Doreah hurried to her with a robe of painted sandsilk, but Khal Drogo waved her away.

From "A Game of Thrones" 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

Her handmaids and the men of her khas came after, smiling and jesting among themselves.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

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