servant girl
7
3.5
- noun
- Archaic
:
sirvienta
- The wealthy couple hired a servant girl to help with the daily chores around the house.
They're out of the picture, and the servant girl could be sent out on some errand or another by his sister.
- They're out of the picture, and the servant girl could be sent out on some errand or another by his sister.
- You can say, how does this apply to servant girls, for example, you know, but I, I don't think that's a, you know, insurmountable criticism.
Examples
-
As a servant girl, she was responsible for cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the children.
-
Public dance halls were for soldiers and servant girls.
Academic text (1995) -
The servant girl got her marriage.
-
And I also require another servant girl.
Fiction book (1995) -
And the next day he brought before me a servant girl that he had accused of the crime.
-
Very quickly, as happened with my servant girl, I resigned myself to my new circumstances.
Academic text (2015) -
The new servant girl was standing beside the bed, staring down at me with a most peculiar expression.
Fiction book (1998) -
A candle branch burned on a far table where a servant girl sat sewing.
Fiction book (1992) -
There were many golden-haired servant girls who looked like the spitting image of the women they served.
Fiction book (2002) -
A poor, lame servant girl went to the fortuneteller to inquire how she might run.
Synonyms
422
1.0
A person who works in someone's home doing jobs like cooking and cleaning
264
1.0
A woman paid to clean and cook in another person's home
14
5.8
A person who works in a home doing cleaning and cooking
12
8.2
A woman who serves a lady and helps with household tasks
11
5.3
A hotel worker who cleans and tidies guest bedrooms
8
2.4
A woman paid to clean and do other jobs in a home
8
8.0
A woman who helps and cares for another person in a household
3
8.6
A woman who works as a servant to help another woman get dressed and look tidy
3
7.1
A woman who works in a home doing cleaning and cooking
1
5.1
A girl or young woman who works in a home doing chores
1
3.2
A woman who helps cook and clean in the kitchen of a large house
1
2.3
A person who works in a home doing cleaning, cooking and other daily tasks
1
2.6
A person paid to clean and cook in a home
1
9.9
A woman who works in a home cleaning and serving guests in the front rooms
1
9.9
A woman who looks after children and helps with housework
A woman who works in a home doing cleaning and cooking
A woman servant who takes care of the wine and plates in a large house
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a girl who works as a servant' is directly and compositionally derived from 'servant' (worker performing household duties) + 'girl' (young female), so a learner who knows both words can infer the phrase. This noun+noun description follows common English compounding and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, making it immediately comprehensible despite possible register or archaic uses.
Etymology
Servant girl is a simple compound noun from everyday house life: a young woman, the girl, who worked for a family, the servant, doing meals, cleaning and other chores. So the phrase came to mean 'a girl or young woman who works as a servant'.