handmaid
Americannoun
-
something that is necessarily subservient or subordinate to another.
Ceremony is but the handmaid of worship.
-
a female servant or attendant.
Etymology
Origin of handmaid
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But there are also hints that many have no idea that the handmaid system exists.
From Slate • Jun. 19, 2021
Until recently, the group used the term “handmaids” to refer to female leaders, inspired by a biblical reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus, as “the handmaid of the Lord.”
From New York Times • Oct. 8, 2020
The reference comes from the New Testament’s Book of Luke, in which Mary describes herself to the angel Gabriel as “the handmaid of the Lord.”
From Washington Times • Sep. 26, 2020
The handmaid lives to tell her tale and Gilead, too, crumbles in the end.
From Salon • Apr. 17, 2020
"I have won no victories," she tried telling her handmaid when the bell tinkled softly.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
