serving girl
1
5.1
- noun
- Archaic
:
sirvienta
- Every morning, the serving girl set the table and prepared breakfast for the entire family.
- a serving girl and a woman
Examples
-
He was gazing across the room at the young woman in the serving girl's blouse.
Fiction book (1990) -
A fiddle for Hindley, a riding whip for little Cathy and some apples and pears for me even though I was just the serving girl.
-
"All right." Wu looked at the beautiful, silent serving girl.
Fiction book (1990) -
A good serving girl, Maisie, must learn to be always ready for the entrance of her mistress without event.
Fiction book (2000) -
Irish serving girls earned fifty cents a week, plus stingy room and board.
Fiction book (1994) -
The serving girl rubbed her eyes and yawned.
Fiction book (1999) -
A serving girl stood ready to wait upon them, making the self-sufficient Wren feel more than a little uncomfortable.
Fiction book (1992) -
Gwen, her Welsh serving girl, slept on the floor at the foot of the canopy bed.
Fiction book (1999) -
Mama nodded politely at him, and as Mrs. Hunnowell motioned the serving girl forward to begin, I put aside all thoughts of Bart Hunnowell and his character.
Fiction book (2000) -
The family hired a new serving girl to help with the meals and cleaning in their household.
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
110
1.1
A person who manages household chores and keeps the home clean
27
1.0
A woman who cleans houses or offices for pay
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
12
5.3
A woman who cares for young children in a private home
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
7
3.5
A young woman who works in a house to help with chores
4
9.9
A kitchen worker who does dirty, simple jobs like washing dishes
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
2.3
A person who works in a home doing cleaning, cooking and other daily tasks
1
3.2
A woman who helps cook and clean in the kitchen of a large house
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
1
9.4
A person who helps someone dress and bathe every day
A woman who works in an inn serving customers and cleaning pots
A woman servant who takes care of the wine and plates in a large house
A woman who works in a home doing cleaning and cooking
Old word for a woman who does hard, low-paid housework like cleaning and carrying luggage
A young woman who works as a helper on a ship in passengers' or officers' cabins
A woman who helps hotel guests by carrying bags and running errands
A girl or woman who cares for horses in a stable
How Old-fashioned
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward composition: 'serving' (one who serves/works for someone) combined with 'girl' yields 'a girl who serves' i.e., a female servant. This follows a common English agent/participle + noun pattern that a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily interpret.
Etymology
The phrase serving girl comes from a clear picture: a young girl whose job was serving food and doing chores in a house, so the words came to mean 'a girl employed as a servant'.