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; 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

But the season's seventh episode was the first time the program portrayed a handmaid dying in childbirth.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2023

Comparing her to a handmaid lacks any intersectional analysis.

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

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

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2019

With her was a handmaid carrying the little boy.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton