# handmaid

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhændˌmeɪd/ · frequency rank #75,938

## Definitions
1. A maid that waits at hand; a female servant or attendant.
2. A moth of the species Dysauxes ancilla.

## Etymology
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".

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