maid

A maid, housemaid, or maidservant is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era, domestic service was the second-largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids are now typically only found in the wealthiest households. In other parts of the world (mainly in Asia), maids remain common in urban middle-class households. Maid in Middle English meant an unmarried woman, especially a young one, or specifically a virgin. These meanings remained persistent in the English language until recent times (and remain familiar in literature and folk music), alongside word's sense as a type of servant.