Abigails

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female given name used to identify a person, often signifying a woman or girl known by this name; can also refer to multiple individuals bearing this name collectively; sometimes employed in titles or references to more than one character named as such
2. The plural form of a common female forename, indicating several persons each called by this name; used to acknowledge various women sharing this designation; applicable in contexts discussing groups or references to all called thus
3. A proper noun used to name females, here appearing in plural to denote various individuals with this appellation; often found in literature, media, or conversation when addressing multiple people with the identical given name; serves to identify or address parties collectively labeled by this name

Etymology: "Abigails" is the plural of "abigail," and the singular began life as a character's name. In the play The Scornful Lady, written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, a waiting-maid is called Abigail, and the name stuck to the figure of the sharp-witted servant girl. From there it became a common way to refer to any lady's attendant, and eventually to a maid in general. Because "abigail" was used as a generic label for a servant, a plural like "abigails" could refer to several such maids at once, or to several characters or people bearing the name. Its meaning therefore shifted from a single fictional servant to a type of person, and then back toward being simply a given name.