Basic Details
Word: Maidservant
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A woman employed to do household work such as cleaning and cooking. It is an old-fashioned word; today people usually say domestic worker or house help.
Synonyms: maid, housemaid, attendant
How to Spell Maidservant
Syllables: maid - ser - vant
Tricky part: It is a compound of maid and servant, written as one word. Servant ends in ant, not ent.
Watch out for: maidservent, madeservant, maidsarvant
Memory tip: A maid who serves: write maid, then servant, and glue them together without dropping a letter.
Usage Examples
Example 1: In old Indian dramas, the heroine often shares her secrets with her maidservant.
Example 2: The old novel describes a maidservant who carried water from the well every morning.
Example 3: The maidservant drew the curtains and lit the lamps before the guests arrived.
Fun Fact
Servant comes from Old French servir, 'to serve'. The same root gives service, and also sergeant, which first meant a servant.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the correctly spelt compound word:
a) maidservant
b) housholder
c) gatekeepar
d) doormatt
Show answer
a) maidservant. Picture each pair before it was joined: house + holder, gate + keeper, door + mat. Only maid + servant has stayed correct.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to maidservant as used in the sentence:
In the old play, the queen's loyal maidservant hid the royal jewels from the invaders.
a) attendant
b) mistress
c) employer
d) guest
Show answer
a) attendant. A maidservant waits on someone, which is what an attendant does; mistress and employer are the people served.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
maidserrvant
a) v
b) r
c) d
d) s
Show answer
b) r. Servant has a single r, so one of the two r's must go.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is the masculine form of maidservant?
a) butler maid
b) servantman
c) manservant
d) maidsman
Show answer
c) manservant
2. Why might a modern writer avoid the word maidservant?
a) it is a rude word
b) it sounds old-fashioned
c) it is a French word
d) it is spelt in two ways
Show answer
b) it sounds old-fashioned
