housemaid

C2 Topic:House & Home

Also spelled house-maid

US /ˈhaʊsˌmeɪd/
noun verb Freq #26128

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    A female domestic worker responsible for cleaning a house.

    With a dramatic gesture, he pointed to a large splash of candle grease on the floor by the writing-table. "It must have been done since yesterday, otherwise a good housemaid would have at once removed it with blotting-paper and a hot iron. […]”.

  2. 2
    verb

    To clean, as a housemaid.

    Giving that up, she took a broom and a duster and went upstairs to housemaid Mrs Dibble's bedroom, with her head tied up in a coloured scarf. It was a dusty, snuffy job, for penuriousness in Mrs Dibble refused to throw anything away, including dirt, and if anything fell on the floor it remained there.

  3. 3
    noun

    a female domestic

  4. 4
    noun

    A housewife.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
3 noun · a female domestic maid
Word family
Derived forms underhousemaid
Related forms housegirl

Etymology

From house + maid.

Topics

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