Handemayde

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for a woman employed to wait upon someone of higher rank ; a person or thing that plays a subordinate, supporting part in a larger effort
2. A female household servant who attends to a mistress or lady ; something that assists or supports a larger purpose without taking the lead
3. A young woman in service to a noble household ; a figurative description of anything that serves in a secondary, auxiliary capacity

Etymology: Middle English "handmaiden" was originally a compound of "hand" and "maiden," meaning a young woman who was a servant or attendant, and the "maiden" half once meant an unmarried girl rather than a virgin in the modern sense. The "maid" in "maiden" comes from the same root as "maid," and the form "handmaid" appears in English from the Old English period, while "handmaiden" is a later variant built from the same parts. Its first recorded uses appear around the 14th century, and it appears in Wycliffe's Bible translation of the late 1300s. The compound's older meaning is literal: a hand-maid was a personal servant who did close, hands-on work for a lady of the house, dressing her, attending her rooms and running errands. The word's sense of a helper who supports a larger purpose without leading it developed later, as the servant's role as a subordinate attendant became a figure for anyone who serves a greater cause in a supporting role.