Nursemaid
/ˈnɜːrs.meɪd/noun
A woman employed to care for and supervise young children.
Did you know?The first element, nurse, comes from a root tied to feeding and suckling, while maid originally meant simply a young woman or servant, so the word is a social snapshot of care labor in older English.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*snew-
“to suck, nurse”
Latin
Latin
nutrīre
“to feed, nourish”
Old French
Old French
norrice / nourrice
“a nurse; one who feeds or cares for a child”
Old English
English
mæd
“a girl, maid, or young woman”
Middle English
English
nurse + maid
“a female attendant who cares for children”
Modern English
English
nursemaid
“a woman employed to care for children”