noun
maid
mayd
noun
1
A woman employed to clean a house or do domestic work.
"The hotel maid knocked to ask if the room needed cleaning."
2
(literary or old-fashioned) A young unmarried woman or girl.
"In the old tale, a maid waits by the tower window for her rescuer."
How to Use Maid
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMost commonly today, a household or hotel cleaner; the "young woman" meaning is now mainly literary.
Common pairings
hotel maid
lady's maid
maid service
Word Forms
maided past tense, maids plural, maids singular
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The hotel _____ knocked to ask if the room needed cleaning.
Etymology
A shortened form of Middle English "maiden", ultimately from Old English maegden, "girl".