nurserymaid

The nurserymaid reads a storybook to the children in the garden.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A woman employed to care for young children: "nurserymaid" refers to a female servant or worker whose primary responsibility is to look after infants and toddlers, typically in a household or nursery setting.

Usage Examples

• (A woman employed to care for babies.)
• (A specific role in domestic service.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be a nurserymaid to someone": to act as a caregiver or minder for a person, often in a metaphorical sense.
  • He acted as a nurserymaid to his younger siblings after their parents divorced. (He took on the role of primary caregiver.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nursemaid (noun): an alternative spelling of "nurserymaid," with the same meaning.
  • The nursemaid sang lullabies to the children. (A woman caring for young ones.)
• Nursery (noun): a room or place set aside for young children.
  • The nursery was decorated with colourful wallpaper. (A room for children.)
• Maid (noun): a female domestic servant.
  • The maid cleaned the house while the nurserymaid watched the children. (A general servant.)

Synonyms

• Nanny: a woman employed to care for a child, often living with the family.
  • The nanny took the children to the park. (A professional child caregiver.)
• Childminder: a person who looks after children, especially in their own home.
  • She works as a childminder for three families. (A caregiver for children.)

Related Idioms

• "To be nursemaided": to be excessively cared for or supervised.
  • He felt nursemaided by his overprotective parents. (He felt treated like a child needing constant attention.)
• "Nurserymaid's tale": a story or excuse that is overly simplistic or childish.
  • His explanation was nothing but a nurserymaid's tale. (A naive or unconvincing story.)