maid Meaning, Definition & Usage

Maid noun

Etymology

Shortened from maiden. . See Maiden.

Definitions

1. An unmarried woman; usually, a young unmarried woman; esp., a girl; a virgin; a maiden.

   Would I had died a maid, And never seen thee, never borne thee son. Shak.

   Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me. Jer. ii. 32.

2. A man who has not had sexual intercourse. Obs.

   Christ was a maid and shapen as a man. Chaucer.

3. A female servant.

   Spinning amongst her maids. Shak.

   ✍ Maid is used either adjectively or in composition, signifying female, as in maid child, maidservant.
4. (Zoöl.) The female of a ray or skate, esp. of the gray skate (Raia batis), and of the thornback (R. clavata). Prov. Eng. maid of honor. principal female attendant (if unmarried) of a bride at wedding. (If married, matron of honor.)