Meanings
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1
noun
a French nursemaid or children's governess, especially in an English-speaking household
The family hired a French bonne to care for the children and teach them her language.
Thesaurus
Etymology
Borrowed from French bonne, the feminine form of bon, 'good,' used as a noun for a female domestic servant or nursemaid. French bon descends from Latin bonus, 'good.' In nineteenth-century English households, bonne often specifically meant a French nurse or governess.