Where does “handmaidenly” come from?
handmaidenly (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.
handmaidenly (English): Befitting a handmaiden
Definitions
- Befitting a handmaiden
Ancestry of “handmaidenly”, step by step
handmaidenly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English handmaiden
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | handmaiden | Alternative form of handmaid |
| 2 | English | handmaid | A maid that waits at hand; a female servant or... |
| 3 | English | maid | A girl or an unmarried young woman; maiden; A... |
| 4 | Middle English | mayde | young woman |
| 5 | English | maiden | A girl or an unmarried young woman; A female... |
| 6 | Middle English | mayden | maiden |
| 7 | Old English | mægden | girl; virgin, young unmarried woman |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | magadīn | little girl |
| 9 | Proto-West Germanic | -īn | Creates adjectives from nouns with the sense... |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |