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house servant

house servant

1 2.3
A person who works in a home doing cleaning, cooking and other daily tasks
  • noun
  • /ˈhaʊs ˈsɜrvənt/
translation icon : sirviente
  • The family employed a house servant to help with the daily chores and ensure everything ran smoothly.

Examples

  • I have three house servants.

    Blog text (34)
  • What if someone gets to interview the house servants or the hunting guides?

    Blog text (25)
  • Two house servants began to gather up the cushions.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • "We sat in silence for a moment and watched the house servants buying up the shad."

    Fiction book (1994)
  • With assistance, he obtained a job as a house servant for an American family, an experience similar to that of many other Chinese immigrants during that period.

    Academic text (2002)
  • She carried the tray to the side table and set it among the other finished pieces, then returned to the worktable to check on the progress of her two house servants.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • As a house servant, his duties included cooking, cleaning, and assisting the family with various tasks.

  • In the past, a wealthy family would often have multiple house servants working to maintain their large estate.

Synonyms

nanny
vshouse servant
603 1.0

A woman who looks after children in a family's home

is broader, covering household tasks beyond child care
servant
vshouse servant
422 1.0

A person who works in someone's home doing jobs like cooking and cleaning

is the same idea but used as the specific household role term
maid
vshouse servant
264 1.0

A woman paid to clean and cook in another person's home

is the general household worker term without specifying female gender
butler
vshouse servant
161 3.7

A man who manages the staff in a large house and serves meals

is a general household worker without managerial or chief responsibilities
housekeeper
vshouse servant
110 1.1

A person who manages household chores and keeps the home clean

focuses on general household work without managerial responsibility
cleaning lady
vshouse servant
  • Informal
27 1.0

A woman who cleans houses or offices for pay

refers to household employment in general, not only paid cleaning services
domestic
vshouse servant
  • UK
14 5.8

A person who works in a home doing cleaning and cooking

is the more formal label for any worker doing such household duties
handmaid
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
12 8.2

A woman who serves a lady and helps with household tasks

is the general household worker role rather than a personal female attendant
chambermaid
vshouse servant
11 5.3

A hotel worker who cleans and tidies guest bedrooms

is the household worker term used also in private family homes
manservant
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
11 7.4

A man who works in someone's house doing jobs like cleaning and helping with meals

is gender neutral and used for any person doing household duties
houseboy
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
11 7.3

A young man who does cleaning, serving, and errands in a private home

is the general household worker term without age or youth emphasis
housemaid
vshouse servant
8 2.4

A woman paid to clean and do other jobs in a home

is the neutral term that applies to all household workers regardless of gender
retainer
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
8 7.0

A person who works for a family in the home, often as a servant

is the broader modern household worker term rather than a service-bound role
footman
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
7 8.9

A man who works in a large house, greeting visitors and serving meals

is gender neutral and encompasses such errand running without specifying role
servant girl
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
7 3.5

A young woman who works in a house to help with chores

is the general household worker term without age or gender focus
cleaning woman
vshouse servant
6 1.3

A woman who is paid to clean houses or offices regularly

covers any household worker, not only those working commercially
scullion
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
4 9.9

A kitchen worker who does dirty, simple jobs like washing dishes

is the general household worker role that includes but is not limited to kitchen chores
lady's maid
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
3 8.6

A woman who works as a servant to help another woman get dressed and look tidy

refers to household work in general rather than private personal assistance
maidservant
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
3 7.1

A woman who works in a home doing cleaning and cooking

is gender neutral and covers any household worker regardless of sex
housecleaner
vshouse servant
  • US
1 1.9

A person who cleans homes for money

is broader, including all household tasks not limited to cleaning
serving girl
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
1 5.1

A girl or young woman who works in a home doing chores

is the neutral modern term used regardless of youth or historical usage
kitchen maid
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
1 3.2

A woman who helps cook and clean in the kitchen of a large house

focuses on kitchen tasks rather than general household duties
domestic help
vshouse servant
1 2.6

A person paid to clean and cook in a home

is the broader phrase emphasizing employment inside a single household
bonne
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A woman who looks after children and helps with housework

is the general household worker term not limited to childcare duties
body servant
vshouse servant
1 9.4

A person who helps someone dress and bathe every day

covers broader household duties beyond personal attendance
parlormaid
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A woman who works in a home cleaning and serving guests in the front rooms

is a broader household worker term not limited to parlor duties
home help
vshouse servant
  • UK
3.4

A person who helps older or disabled people with housework and shopping at home

is the general household role applying to all household employment situations
underbutler
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
8.8

A servant who helps the head servant in a large house

is the general household worker role without an explicit rank
pantrywoman
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
9.9

A woman servant who takes care of the wine and plates in a large house

is the general household role not limited to dining or wine tasks
servingman
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
9.9

A man who works in a home to serve and help people

is the current neutral term used in modern contexts rather than archaic language
housecarl
vshouse servant
  • Archaic
9.9

A servant who works in a lord's home doing daily chores in medieval times

is the modern household worker term rather than the historical specific role

How Free

freewoman
9.3
house servant
1 2.3
bondmaid
  • NSFW
1 9.9
slave
746 3.4

Surface Forms

house servant singular

Morphology

house + servant

The meaning 'a person employed to perform domestic tasks within a household' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'house' (a dwelling) with 'servant' (a domestic worker), indicating a servant who works in a house. This is a regular compositional pattern, cross‑linguistically common (e.g., equivalents in French, Spanish, etc.), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

House servant comes from the simple picture of a servant who works in and often lives in a house. So, it means 'a person employed to do household tasks'.