housemaid

/'hausmeid/

Thân thiện

The housemaid carefully dusts the bookshelf in the living room.

Definition

Noun: A female domestic servant employed to perform general household cleaning and maintenance tasks, typically within a private residence.

Usage

The word "housemaid" refers specifically to a woman whose job is to clean and maintain a house. It is a somewhat dated or formal term, often associated with historical or large household contexts.

Examples

• The housemaid cleaned the rooms and changed the bed linens every morning.
• In the 19th century, a large estate might employ several housemaids.
• She worked as a housemaid for a wealthy family in the city.

Advanced Usage

• "Housemaid's knee": A medical condition (prepatellar bursitis) historically associated with housemaids who spent long periods kneeling on hard floors to scrub them.
  • Years of scrubbing floors gave the elderly woman a case of housemaid's knee.

Variants and Related Words

• Maid (n): A more common, general term for a female domestic servant. "Housemaid" is a type of maid.
• Chambermaid (n): A maid specifically responsible for cleaning bedrooms.
• Domestic (n): A formal term for a household servant.
• Cleaner (n): A more modern and neutral term for a person employed to clean.

Synonyms

• Maid
• Domestic servant
• Cleaning lady (informal)

Antonyms

• Employer
• Homeowner
• Mistress/Master of the house

Related Idioms/Phrases

• "Like a housemaid's holiday": An idiom describing a supposed break or holiday where one ends up doing the same work they normally do.
  • Spending my vacation deep-cleaning my own house felt like a housemaid's holiday.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a female domestic

Từ đồng nghĩa

• maid
• maidservant
• amah