Amah

Amah

An amah (zh-stp|s=阿嬷|t=阿嬤|p=āmā, Portuguese: "ama",German: "Amme", Medieval Latin: "amma" ; or ayah Hindi:āyā, Portuguese:"aia", Latin:"avia") is a girl or woman employed by a family to clean, look after children, etc. It is a domestic servant role that combines functions of maid and nanny.

This word is particularly common in East Asia and India (ayah, though, is a more common variant in India). Since the mid-1990s, it has become more politically correct to call such a person a "helper" rather than a maid or ayah. In Taiwan and Northern China, ayah may even refer to any old lady in general.

"Amah" is also the Mosuo term for mother, and is used in this way in Yang Erche Namu's memoir [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E8LQM4 "Leaving Mother Lake"] . The word "ammah" or "anmah" means "mother," and "ayah" has an identical meaning in Okinawan dialect. See Ryukyu Island for more information about Okinawa.

"Ayah" in English literature

Like many other terms other languages, "amah" and "ayah" have been adopted as loanwords into the English language:

:"She never remembered seeing familiarly anything but the dark faces of her "Ayah" and the other native servants, and as they always obeyed her and gave her her own way in everything, because the Mem Sahib [her mother] would be angry if she was disturbed by her crying, by the time she was six years old she was as tyrannical and selfish a little pig as ever lived.":*"The Secret Garden", by Frances Hodgson Burnett

:"When Tony and his sister arrived they wanted to go straight to the pond, but their "ayah" said they must take a sharp walk first, and as she said this she glanced at the time-board to see when the Gardens closed that night." :*"The Little White Bird", by J.M. Barrie, author of "Peter Pan"

;"Amah" in Thai languages,is mother

ee also

*Amah Rock


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • amah — n. 1. a woman hired to suckle a child of someone else. Syn: wet nurse [WordNet 1.5] 2. a female domestic. Syn: maid, maidservant, housemaid [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • amah — (n.) wet nurse, 1839, Anglo Indian, from Port. ama nurse, from M.L. amma mother, from PIE root *am , forming nursery words …   Etymology dictionary

  • amah — [ä′mə] n. [Anglo Ind < Port ama] in India, etc., a woman servant, esp. one who serves as a baby s nurse …   English World dictionary

  • amah — UK [ˈɑːmə] / US [ˈɑmə] noun [countable] Word forms amah : singular amah plural amahs a woman who is a servant or whose job is to look after her employer s children in southern and eastern Asia …   English dictionary

  • Amah Rock — The replica of Amah Rock at Tao Fung Shan …   Wikipedia

  • amah — noun Etymology: Portuguese ama wet nurse, from Medieval Latin amma Date: 1839 a female servant in eastern Asia; especially a Chinese nurse …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • amah — /ah meuh, am euh/, n. (in India and the Far East) 1. a baby s nurse, esp. a wet nurse. 2. a female servant; maid. [1830 40; < Pg ama nurse, governess < ML amma wet nurse, perh. alter. of L mamma breast] * * * …   Universalium

  • amah — noun a) (In India etc) A woman employed to look after children b) (in China etc) A wet nurse; a maid …   Wiktionary

  • amah — Synonyms and related words: abigail, au pair girl, ayah, betweenmaid, biddy, chambermaid, chaperon, companion, cook, dry nurse, duenna, femme de chambre, fille de chambre, gentlewoman, girl, handmaid, handmaiden, hired girl, housemaid,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • amah — Hong Kong English a term used in early 20th century for a live in servant (from Macanese/Portuguese ama nurse) …   English dialects glossary

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