chamber-maid

A chamber-maid tidies a guest room in a hotel.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A female servant who cleans bedrooms and makes beds: A "chamber-maid" is a domestic worker, typically in a hotel or large household, whose primary duties involve cleaning and tidying guest bedrooms.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The chamber-maid entered the room each morning to change the linens. (The female servant responsible for bedroom cleaning.)
  • She worked as a chamber-maid in a grand Victorian hotel. (She was employed to maintain guest rooms.)

Advanced Usage

• "chamber-maid" in historical contexts: In the 18th and 19th centuries, a chamber-maid often had additional duties, such as laying fires and emptying washbasins.
  • The chamber-maid prepared the fireplace before the guests arrived. (She performed extra tasks beyond cleaning.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chamber-maid (n): the same term, sometimes hyphenated or written as one word ("chambermaid").
• Chamber (n): a room, especially a bedroom or private room.
  • The queen's chamber was elegantly furnished. (The private room of the queen.)
• Maid (n): a female domestic servant.
  • The maid served breakfast in the dining room. (A general term for a female servant.)

Synonyms

• Housemaid: a female servant who cleans a house.
• Attendant: a person who assists or serves guests.
• Domestic: a household servant.

Related Idioms

• "To play the chamber-maid": an old-fashioned idiom meaning to perform the duties of a chamber-maid, often used humorously.
  • He had to play the chamber-maid for a week while his wife was away. (He took over household cleaning duties.)

Phrasal Verbs

• None directly associated with the word "chamber-maid" itself; however, related verbs include:
  • Tidy up: to make a room neat.

    • The chamber-maid tidied up the guest room before noon. (She organized and cleaned the space.)