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handmaiden

/ˌhæn(d)ˈmeɪdn/
IPA guide

Other forms: handmaidens

It's an old-fashioned word now, but a handmaiden was once a servant who worked for a wealthy family. You might feel like a handmaiden when your parents tell you to scrub every bathroom in the house.

Long ago, a handmaiden (also called a handmaid) often served as the personal servant or maid to the lady of the house. You're much more likely to encounter this word in a book or movie these days, since someone employed in a home is more likely to be called an assistant, a housekeeper, or a cleaner. The term handmaiden comes from the sense of being "close at hand."

Definitions of handmaiden
  1. noun
    a personal maid or female attendant
    synonyms: handmaid
    see moresee less
    type of:
    amah, housemaid, maid, maidservant
    a female domestic
  2. noun
    in a subordinate position
    “theology should be the handmaiden of ethics”
    synonyms: handmaid, servant
    see moresee less
    type of:
    subordinateness, subsidiarity
    secondary importance
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘handmaiden'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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