Where does “handmaid” come from?
Handmaid is a compound of English hand and English maiden, ultimately deriving from Proto-Germanic hundą and maghu- through Proto-Indo-European ḱm̥tóm, ḱwn̥tós, ḱwṓ, and maghu-.
handmaid (English): A maid that waits at hand; a female servant or...
Definitions
- A maid that waits at hand; a female servant or...
Ancestry of “handmaid”, step by step
handmaid traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English maid
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | maid | A girl or an unmarried young woman; maiden; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | mayde | young woman |
| 3 | English | maiden | A girl or an unmarried young woman; A female... |
| 4 | Middle English | mayden | maiden |
| 5 | Old English | mægden | girl; virgin, young unmarried woman |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | magadīn | little girl |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | -īn | Creates adjectives from nouns with the sense... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English hand
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hand | The part of the forelimb below the forearm or... |
| 2 | Middle English | hond | hand; Alternative form of hound |
| 3 | Old English | hand | A hand |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | handu | hand |
| 5 | Swedish | hand | A hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player |
| 6 | Old Swedish | hand | A hand; A direction; A behalf |
| 7 | Old Norse | hǫnd | hand |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | handuz | hand |