handmaid

American  

[hand-meyd] / ˈhændˌmeɪd /

Also handmaiden

noun

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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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.

Example Sentences

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

Ultimately, the episode opens with the handmaids and Aunt Lydia gathered to help a handmaid in labor.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2019

Her handmaid Irri and the young archers of her khas were fluid as Centaurs, but Viserys still struggled with the short stirrups and the flat saddle.

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