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A Chinese amah (right) with a woman and her three children Joanna de Silva Two ayahs in British India with their charges. An amah (Portuguese: ama, German: Amme, Medieval Latin: amma, simplified Chinese: 阿妈; traditional Chinese: 阿 媽; pinyin: ā mā; Wade–Giles: a¹ ma¹) or ayah (Portuguese: aia, Latin: avia, Tagalog: yaya) is a girl or woman employed by a family to clean, look after ...
In Colonial India, a nanny was known as ayah, after aia, nurse, governess (in Portuguese). This term is presently part of the vocabulary of various languages of the Subcontinent, meaning also female servant or maid. [1] In Chinese she was an amah. [1] In the Dutch East Indies the household nanny was known as baboe. [citation needed]
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. The terms handmaiden and handmaid ...
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.
Traditionally, the lady's maid was not as high-ranking as a lady's companion, who was a retainer rather than a servant, but the rewards included room and board, travel and somewhat improved social status. In the servants' hall, a lady's maid took precedence akin to that of her mistress.
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.
In India, a devadasi is a female artist who is dedicated to the worship and service of a deity or a temple for the rest of her life. [3] [4] The dedication takes place in a ceremony that is somewhat similar to a marriage ceremony.
The discussion of servants and bonded labor is also found in manuscripts found in Tibet, though the details vary. [35] [36] The discussion of servant, bonded labor and slaves, states Scopen, differs significantly in different manuscripts discovered for the same Buddhist text in India, Nepal and Tibet, whether they are in Sanskrit or Pali ...