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Maid in Middle English meant an unmarried woman, especially a young one, or specifically a virgin. These meanings lived on in English until recent times (and are still familiar from literature and folk music), alongside the sense of the word as a type of servant. [2] [3]
Retainer (Retinue and Affinity) – A servant, especially one who has been with one family for a long time (chiefly British English). [82] Scullery maid – The lowest-ranking of the domestic workers who act as assistants to the kitchen maid. Stable boy or Groom – A worker who handles the management of the horses and the stables.
A 1943 photograph of a charwoman in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Charwoman, chargirl, charlady and char are occupational terms referring to a paid part-time worker who comes into a house or other building to clean it for a few hours of a day or week, as opposed to a maid, who usually lives as part of the household within the structure of domestic service.
Illustration depicting a Parisian lady's maid in the 1630s. The illustration is made in the turn of the 18th-19th century, by Georges-Jacques Gatine (1773–1848) Mistress and Maid by Johannes Vermeer. A lady's maid is a female personal attendant who waits on her female employer. The role of a lady's maid is similar to that of a gentleman's ...
A handmaiden (nowadays less commonly handmaid or maidservant) is a personal maid or female servant. [1] The term is also used metaphorically for something whose primary role is to serve or assist. [1] Depending on culture or historical period, a handmaiden may be of enslaved status or may be simply an employee. The terms handmaiden and handmaid ...
The influence of American English has led to the chief bridesmaid sometimes being called the maid of honour. In North America, a wedding party might include several bridesmaids, but the 'maid of honor' is the title and position held by the bride's chief attendant, typically her closest friend or sister.
The Oxford American English Dictionary defines spinster as "an unmarried woman, typically an older woman beyond the usual age for marriage". It adds: "In modern everyday English, however, spinster cannot be used to mean simply 'unmarried woman'; as such, it is a derogatory term, referring or alluding to a stereotype of an older woman who is ...
Scullery maids cleaned metallic and earthenware kitchen utensils, but not fine china, stemware, crystal or plate silver. The scullery maid provided hot water for the scullery, kitchen tasks, and household. In addition to her other tasks, the scullery maid had to keep the scullery clean by clearing away meat and vegetable garbage, scrubbing work ...