maid

American  

[meyd] / meɪd /

noun

1. a female domestic employee who cleans tourist accommodations or does cleaning or other housework in a home.

   a hotel maid.

2. a female domestic servant with any of various duties, especially in a large house (often used in combination).

   a kitchen maid who assisted the cook; a handmaid; a lady’s maid; a nursery maid.

3. Archaic. a girl or young unmarried woman.

4. Archaic. a female virgin.

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maid British  

/ meɪd /

noun

1. archaic a young unmarried girl; maiden

2. 1. a female servant

   2. ( in combination )

      a housemaid

3. a spinster

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Other Word Forms

• maidish adjective
• maidishness noun
• submaid noun
• undermaid noun

Etymology

Origin of maid

First recorded in 1225–1275; Middle English maide, maid, shortened variant of maiden

Example Sentences

All that survived intact of the family’s former treasures were the netsuke, which were smuggled out of the family’s mansion by a loyal maid and returned to the family after the war.

From The Wall Street Journal

Beetz stars as Asia, a young woman who turns up on the stoop of a high-end Manhattan apartment building, the Virgil, answering an ad for a maid job.

From Los Angeles Times

“And it isn’t logical to say the truth and do a lie! What about Annaliese’s false papers—and that maid’s uniform on Katrien?”

From Literature

Here I am knocking on the door, watching a figure approach through the glass: a maid in a crisp white hat.

From Literature

McGonigal's character Hazel is a maid in the show, which can involve carrying "giant silver trays and baskets of sweet treats".

From BBC

Related Words

• au pair
• chambermaid
• girl
• housemaid