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A handmaiden (nowadays less commonly handmaid or maidservant) is a personal maid or female servant. [1] (The term is also used metaphorically for something whose primary role is to serve or assist.) [1] Depending on culture or historical period, a handmaiden may be of enslaved status or may be simply an employee.
A lady's companion was a woman of genteel birth who lived with a woman of rank or wealth as retainer. The term was in use in the United Kingdom from at least the 18th century to the mid-20th century but it is now archaic. The profession is known in most of the Western world. The role was related to the position of lady-in-waiting, which by the ...
Ancilla was the common word for a female house slave in ancient Rome. The more general word for a female slave was serva. An ancilla in an upperclass household might serve as a sort of lady's maid. [2] Ancillae in this setting might be specialized in attending to the upkeep, storage, and readiness of the mistress's wardrobe or jewelry. [3]
Laundress – A laundry servant. Maid – Female servants who perform typical domestic tasks. Majordomo – The senior-most staff member of a very large household or stately home. See also Seneschal. Masseur/Masseuse – A servant who performs massages. Nanny (children's Nurse) – A woman who takes care of infants and children.
Maid. A maid, housemaid, or maidservant is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era, domestic service was the second-largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. [1] In developed Western nations, full-time maids are now typically only found in the wealthiest households.
A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. [1] Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom she attended. Although she may either have received a retainer ...
The illustration is made in the turn of the 18th-19th century, by Georges-Jacques Gatine [fr] (1773–1848) Mistress and Maid by Johannes Vermeer. A lady's maid is a female personal attendant who waits on her female employer. The role of a lady's maid is similar to that of a gentleman's valet. [1]
Doula. A doula (/ ˈduːlə /; from Ancient Greek δούλα 'female slave'; Greek pronunciation: [ˈðula]) is a non-medical professional who provides guidance for the service of others and who supports another person (the doula's client) through a significant health-related experience, such as childbirth, miscarriage, induced abortion or ...