ayah
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈɑːjə/
- Archaic
- Tell Ayah to give her some housework, keep her busy.
- ayah would tell
- mothers and their ayahs
- ayah says
Examples
-
Now listen, Ayah.
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Ayah, will you take a message to the village?
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Nobody but my servant my ayah, looked after me.
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MARY: In India when it rained, my ayah would tell me stories.
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My ayah dressed me.
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Three days after her arrival, the ayah her mother had sent swept her things into her tin trunk and left in a huff.
Fiction book (2002) -
In passing, sometime during my own illness this past week, Wendy mentioned to Reena, Aaron's ayah or nurse, that she hoped I wouldn't pass the fever on to our son.
Academic text (1997) -
When I was a child in India, my ayah would sing me lullabies at night.
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The ayah took great care of the children while their parents were at work.
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My aunt hired an ayah who came from a nearby village to help with her kids.
Synonyms
12
5.3
A woman who cares for young children in a private home
1
9.9
A woman who breastfeeds and cares for another family's baby in the home
Surface Forms
Etymology
Ayah comes from the Indian word ayya, which means 'nurse'. British families in India used it for local women who looked after their children, so today ayah means a nursemaid or nanny.