# ayah

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈaɪ.ə/ · frequency rank #68,023

## Definitions
1. A South Asian female servant, maid or nanny, historically, often one working for Europeans in South Asia.

## Etymology
From various Indian languages (e.g. Hindi आया (āyā, “dry nurse, nanny”)), from Portuguese aia (“nurse, governess”), from Latin avia (“grandmother”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ayah