Where does “maidservant” come from?
Maidservant comes from English maiden and English servant, where servant derives from Latin servus meaning slave or servant, itself of uncertain Proto-Indo-European origin.
maidservant (English): A female servant; a maid
Definitions
- A female servant; a maid
Ancestry of “maidservant”, step by step
maidservant 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 servant
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | servant | One who is hired to perform regular household or... |
| 2 | Middle English | servaunt | A labourer or employee; one who works for another |
| 3 | Old French | servant | present participle of servir; that serves; that... |
| 4 | Old French | servir | to serve |
| 5 | Latin | serviō | to be a slave to; to serve |
| 6 | Latin | servus | a servant; a serf; a slave |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | serwos | guardian |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ser-wo-s | guardian |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ser- | to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together |