Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “underhousemaid” come from?

underhousemaid (English) comes from English housemaid, from English maid, from Middle English mayde, from English maiden, from Middle English mayden, from Old English mægden, from Proto-West Germanic magadīn, from Proto-West Germanic -īn — adjectival suffix.

underhousemaid (English): A lower-ranking housemaid

Definitions

  1. A lower-ranking housemaid

Ancestry of “underhousemaid”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhousemaidA female domestic worker attached to the...
2EnglishmaidA girl or an unmarried young woman; maiden; A...
3Middle Englishmaydeyoung woman
4EnglishmaidenA girl or an unmarried young woman; A female...
5Middle Englishmayden—
6Old Englishmægdengirl; virgin, young unmarried woman
7Proto-West Germanicmagadīnlittle girl
8Proto-West Germanic-īnCreates adjectives from nouns with the sense...
9Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
10Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
11Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →