Bonne

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female domestic servant or nanny, typically employed in a French household to perform housekeeping or childcare duties
2. A woman employed to care for children or manage household tasks, often within a family setting
3. A female domestic helper responsible for child-rearing and household duties in a private home

Etymology: The French "bonne" is simply the feminine form of "bon," meaning "good," so the word's core sense is a "good" woman in service. In French, the term came to denote a female domestic servant, especially one who looked after children or ran a household, and English borrowed it in that sense. The English word keeps the French spelling and pronunciation, which is why it stands out among domestic vocabulary, and it is typically used for a live-in servant. The borrowing is a case of a French social role being imported along with its name. Where English already had words like "nurse," "maid," and "nanny," "bonne" arrived as a foreign term that signalled a particular kind of continental household staff, often one employed by affluent families. Its use in English remains largely tied to that setting and to discussions of French or francophone life, rather than being a general synonym for a babysitter or housekeeper.

Synonyms: maid, servant, housekeeper, nurse, caregiver

Antonyms: employer, master, owner, boss, superior