Link Centre Dictionary

handmaid

hand·maid

US/ˈhændˌmeɪd/ uncommon

noun

1.

in a subordinate position

  • “theology should be the handmaiden of ethics”
  • “the state cannot be a servant of the church”
Synonyms
2.

Origin

Inherited from Middle English handemayde, hand-maide, handmaide, handmayd, hand mayde, hand-mayde, haundmaid, hondemayde, hondmaide, hond-mayde. By surface analysis, compound of hand + maid, the first component in the sense of "ready at hand".

Phrases

  • wait on someone hand and foot

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.