parlourmaid

parlourmaid — noun

1. In past times, a female household worker in a well-to-do home whose main jobs in

1.nounB2
Definition

In past times, a female household worker in a well-to-do home whose main jobs included serving food at meals, welcoming visitors at the front door, and taking care of the main sitting room.

Example

The Dowager Countess employed a parlourmaid to serve tea and answer the door for guests.

historical role: employed by wealthy households to serve and attend

In Victorian novels, a parlourmaid worked alongside a butler and a cook in country houses.

collocation: worked alongside a butler and a cook

Common collocations
  • serve as a parlourmaid
  • employ a parlourmaid
  • young parlourmaid
Synonyms
  • housemaid

    a more general term for a female domestic servant; a parlourmaid was a housemaid with specific duties focused on the parlour and dining room

  • chambermaid

    specifically a maid who cleans bedrooms, whereas a parlourmaid served meals and answered the door

  • maidservant

    a more formal, general term for a female servant in a household

Antonyms

Usage Note

Chiefly historical in British English; the role of a parlourmaid largely disappeared from private homes after the Second World War when domestic service became far less common.

Common Mistakes

The hotel hired a parlourmaid to clean the guest rooms.
The manor house employed a parlourmaid to serve dinner and answer the door.
The historical sense of 'parlourmaid' refers to a private home, not a hotel.

2. Chiefly a US term for a female cleaner at hotels, hospitals, and similar workpla

2.nounB2
Definition

Chiefly a US term for a female cleaner at hotels, hospitals, and similar workplaces who tidies rooms and makes beds.

Example

The hotel parlourmaid changed the sheets and restocked the bathroom supplies on the third floor.

workplace collocation: hotel parlourmaid

Dr. Okafor thanked the parlourmaid for keeping the hospital waiting area clean at night.

Common collocations
  • hotel parlourmaid
  • hospital parlourmaid
  • work as a parlourmaid
Synonyms
  • chambermaid

    the more common term for a hotel maid who cleans guest rooms

  • maid

    a general, everyday term for a woman who cleans in a hotel, hospital, or institution

  • cleaning lady

    an informal term for a woman employed to clean in an institutional setting

Usage Note

Chiefly American English; in current usage, terms such as 'hotel maid' or 'chambermaid' are far more common. This sense is distinct from the British historical meaning — a US parlourmaid works in an institution, not a private home.

Common Mistakes

The queen's parlourmaid served tea to the royal guests.
The parlourmaid at the hospital tidied the waiting room every afternoon.
The US sense refers to a cleaning worker at a hotel, hospital, or restaurant, not a servant in a wealthy household.

Word family

  • parlour
    nounB2
  • maid
    nounA2
  • maidservant
    nounC1
  • chambermaid
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe female domestic servants in historical households, but each highlights a different scope. A 'housemaid' is the broadest term — any woman employed to clean and keep a home. A 'chambermaid' specifically cleaned bedrooms (chambers), while a 'maidservant' is a more formal, old-fashioned word for any female servant. A 'parlourmaid' had the narrowest role: her duties centred on the parlour and dining room — serving meals, answering the door, and tidying the formal sitting areas. In practice, a large household might employ several maids with different titles. For example, the parlourmaid might lay the table for dinner while the chambermaid turned down the beds upstairs.

housemaidchambermaidmaidservantmaid ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • parlourmaid uniform
  • parlourmaid duties
  • parlourmaid position

Phrases

  • work as a parlourmaid
  • employ a parlourmaid
  • hire a parlourmaid
  • keep a parlourmaid

Prepositions

  • as a parlourmaid
  • of a parlourmaid

Etymology

Old FrenchOld EnglishEnglish

A compound of 'parlour' (from Old French 'parleor', meaning a room for speaking or conversing) and 'maid' (from Old English 'mægden', meaning a young woman or female servant). The word came into use in the 18th and 19th centuries as wealthy British households began giving specific job titles to different domestic workers.