amah
1
9.9
- noun
- Archaic
:
ama
- The flaxen-haired, muslin-clad English children play here, cared for by prim trousered Chinese amahs; and we meet pretty blue-eyed German ladies in their chairs taking this road home.
Examples
-
In wealthy households, many amahs were responsible for cooking and cleaning for their employers.
-
Over the next month, I discovered that she was the leader of a movement to unionize all the amahs from the Philippines.
Fiction book (1994) -
Nearly all were enthusiastically accepted as amahs and servants in wealthy households, both Chinese and British.
Fiction book (2000) -
Rapti was an amah.
Fiction book (1994) -
It was pleasantly crowded in the afternoons, full of Filipino amahs and expats shopping after work.
Fiction book (1994) -
The amah served the family with dedication, taking care of the children and the household chores.
-
The children loved their amah, who always read them stories before bedtime.
Synonyms
264
1.0
A woman paid to clean and cook in another person's home
8
2.4
A woman paid to clean and do other jobs in a home
3
7.1
A woman who works in a home doing cleaning and cooking
Surface Forms
Etymology
Amah was used in parts of Asia for a woman who worked in a house. It likely comes from the Portuguese ama meaning 'nurse' or from Chinese 'ah' plus ma meaning 'mother', so an amah is easy to remember as a woman who cares for the family and the home.