Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “handmaidenhood” come from?

handmaidenhood (English) comes from English handmaiden, from English handmaid, from English maid, from Middle English mayde, from English maiden, from Middle English mayden, from Old English mægden, from Proto-West Germanic magadīn — adjectival suffix.

handmaidenhood (English): The state or condition of being a handmaiden;...

Definitions

  1. The state or condition of being a handmaiden;...

Ancestry of “handmaidenhood”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhandmaidenAlternative form of handmaid
2EnglishhandmaidA maid that waits at hand; a female servant or...
3EnglishmaidA girl or an unmarried young woman; maiden; A...
4Middle Englishmaydeyoung woman
5EnglishmaidenA girl or an unmarried young woman; A female...
6Middle Englishmayden—
7Old Englishmægdengirl; virgin, young unmarried woman
8Proto-West Germanicmagadīnlittle girl
9Proto-West Germanic-īnCreates adjectives from nouns with the sense...
10Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
11Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
12Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →