# male / female servants



## Gavril

Some languages have lexically distinct words (i.e., not derived from the same root) for a male and a female servant. For example,

- Akkadian _wardum _“male slave/servant”, _amtum _“female slave/servant”

- English _maid _(female)

At the moment, I can’t think of a general term for “male servant” in English, apart from _manservant _(which isn't from a unique root). We do have male-only terms like _butler_ that refer to more restricted serving roles.

What other terms do you know of that refer to a specifically male or female servant, and are derived from different roots (unlike, e.g., Spanish _sirviente / sirvienta_)?


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## apmoy70

Hi Gavril,

Greek falls into the same category with Spanish; servant is «υπηρέτης»* /ipi'retis/ (masc.) and maid is «υπηρέτρια» /ipi'retria/ (fem.). Butler is «οικονόμος»** /iko'nomos/ (the female housekeeper is also an «οικονόμος» /iko'nomos/).

*«Υπηρέτης» /ipi'retis/ from the Classical noun «ὑπηρέτης» (hŭpē'rĕtēs)--> lit. _rower_ generally (since Classical times already) _servant, servitor_; compound, prefix and preposition «ὑπὸ» (hū'pŏ)--> _under_ (PIE base *upo-, _under_) + masc. noun. «ἐρέτης» (ĕ'rĕtēs)--> _rower_ (PIE base *ere-/*er-/*re-, _row_; cf. Skt. अरित्र (aritrah), _oar_; Lat. rēmus; Old Norse rōa; Lith. iriù; Eng. oar; Fr. rameur).
**«Oικονόμος» /iko'nomos/ from the Classical noun «οἰκόνομος» (œ'kŏnŏmŏs)--> _manager of household_; compound, masculine noun «οἶκος» ('œkŏs)--> _house, household_ (PIE base *weik-, _clan_; cf. Skt. वेश (veza), _house_; Lat. vīcus; Eng. vicinity) + verb «νέμω» ('nĕmō)--> _to distribute, allot, manage_ (PIE base *nem-, _to allot, distribute_; cf. Lat. numerus; Lith. núomas; Ger. nehmen).


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## AutumnOwl

Gavril said:


> At the moment, I can’t think of a general term for “male servant” in English, apart from _manservant _(which isn't from a unique root). We do have male-only terms like _butler_ that refer to more restricted serving roles.


You do have the word valet for manservant. 

_*Swedish:*_
_Barnflicka/barnjungfru/barnpiga_ (child girl/child maid) - nanny
_Betjänt_ - valet
_Dräng _- farmhand
_Fäbodstinta _-  herder girl (similar to transhumance herder,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumance but the animals are only  herded during the summer)
_Hembiträde_ (home assistant) - maid servant
_Hushållerska/husföreståndarinna_ - housekeeper (perhaps more similar in status to a butler, as bulters were rare in Sweden)
_Jungfru -_ maid, similar to piga, but usually working indoors in a town
_Kalfaktor_ - batman (military)
_Kammarjungfru(/kammarpiga)_ (chamber maid) - lady's maid
_Piga_ (girl) - maid, usually working on a farm, both outdoors and indoors
_Vaktmästare_ - janitor

(_Tjänstefolk _- servants, _tjänare_ - male servant, _tjänarinna_ - female servant)

_Träl_ - thrall, serf, male slave
_Ambátt_ - female serf/slave


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## ThomasK

Dutch: *dienaar/ dienares *indeed. We also had *meid*, locally even *maart,* for women*, *_and _*knecht,* a male servant (sometimes -*jongen*, boy). There might be others, but I can't come up with them now, though I tried checking the Swedish variants.


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## AquisM

In Chinese, we have neutral terms such as:

管家 (Mandarin: guanjia/Cantonese: gwoon gaa) _housekeeper_
佣人/傭人 (Mandarin: yongren/Cantonese: yung yan) _servant_
仆人/僕人 (Mandarin: puren/Cantonese: buk yan) _servant
_
and these are the ones we use normally. We do sometimes distinguish females from males by adding 女 (women - Mandarin: nv/Cantonese: nui) or 男 (man - Mandarin: nan/Cantonese: naam), but some jobs are traditionally considered to be exclusively for women and so cannot have 男 added to it, or at least will not sound natural, and the neutral terms are used to denote their male counterparts instead.

女/男管家 (female/male housekeeper)
女佣 (女傭) (female servant/maid - no male equivalent)
女/男仆(人) (女/男僕(人)) (female servant/male servant)


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## ilocas2

Czech:

*sluha* - male servant
*služka* - female servant


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## ThomasK

Something I was reminded of: *meid *< *maagd *(virgin); _farmhand _or _farm*boy*_... There seems to be a link between youth and serving, but which one?


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## tFighterPilot

Hebrew:

עבד 'eved - Male slave (similar to most Semitic languages)
אמה Amá - Female slave (obviously from the same source as the Akkadian word)


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## tFighterPilot

tFighterPilot said:


> Hebrew:
> 
> עבד 'eved - Male slave (similar to most Semitic languages)
> אמה Amá - Female slave (obviously from the same source as the Akkadian word)


Oh, I forgot
משרת Mesharét - Male servant
משרתת Mesharétet - Female servant.


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## LilianaB

If this is only about contemporary usage, I don't think there are any _female servants _and _male_ _servants_ in AE. The women cleaning rooms in hotels are called maids. Some cleaning personnel in private homes are called _maids _or _cleaning people (ladies mostly)_, _housekeepers_ and _butlers_(men). They are often referred to as maintenance workers in apartment buildings and offices. I think I have heard a term _male maid_.


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## arielipi

Also, shifkha(for female)


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## ThomasK

I'd like to hear about the root of the Hebrew word. 'Serve'?


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## Gavril

LilianaB said:


> If this is only about contemporary usage, I don't think there are any _female servants _and _male_ _servants_ in AE.



I wasn't only thinking of contemporary usage when I started the thread.



> The women cleaning rooms in hotels are called maids. Some cleaning personnel in private homes are called _maids _or _cleaning people (ladies mostly)_, _housekeepers_ and _butlers_(men). They are often referred to as maintenance workers in apartment buildings and offices. I think I have heard a term _male maid_.



I've heard that phrase as well, but I don't think it's very common, and the fact that you have to specify "male" shows that female is the default gender for the word _maid._


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## darush

Hello Gavril,
in Persian:
male servant> nowkar
female servant> kolfat


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## arielipi

Serve is context in hebrew, it can be serve(army),serve(a man),serve(pass to).
Each has its own root, which one do you want?


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## ThomasK

I just wished an explanation of *the root in 'mesharet-'*. I guessed 'm-sh-r' would be 'to serve' in English, as in 'serving like a slave or a servant'.


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## AutumnOwl

ThomasK said:


> Something I was reminded of: *meid *< *maagd *(virgin); _farmhand _or _farm*boy*_... There seems to be a link between youth and serving, but which one?


I would say that the link is that young people, especially those from poor families, had to leave home early and go to serve in more affluent households to earn money. When/if they had saved enough money they could get married and start a family. While men still could go on working for others the women were expected stay at home and take care of children and what needed to be done at home.

The Swedish words _dräng_ and _piga_ meant also boy and girl, they still have that meaning in Danish and Norwegian. _Jungfru_ comes from the old German word_ juncvrouwe_ meaning young woman or maiden. (The word _jungfru_ can be used to mean virgin, but the word for virgin in Swedish is _oskuld_, which can be translated as without guilt/innocent).


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## arielipi

The root is sh-r-t.
Sharat is server,or janitor. Mesharet is serving in direct translation.


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## ThomasK

Thanks. 'Janitor' seems to be simply a narrower "interpretation" of 'servant', or isn't it? I do not see a direct link with 'servant', but it could be one of the functions of a servant.


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## ThomasK

AutumnOwl said:


> I would say that the link is that young people, especially those from poor families, had to leave home early and go to serve in more affluent households to earn money. When/if they had saved enough money they could get married and start a family. While men still could go on working for others the women were expected stay at home and take care of children and what needed to be done at home.
> 
> The Swedish words _dräng_ and _piga_ meant also boy and girl, they still have that meaning in Danish and Norwegian. _Jungfru_ comes from the old German word_ juncvrouwe_ meaning young woman or maiden. (The word _jungfru_ can be used to mean virgin, but the word for virgin in Swedish is _oskuld_, which can be translated as without guilt/innocent).


That might be quite right, AutumnOwl, but I keep wondering. Could it not have to do with the young being considered indebted to and therefore servants of parents, often 'ouders' (olders), the older ones? 




darush said:


> Hello Gavril,
> in Persian:
> male servant> nowkar
> female servant> kolfat


They don't have a common root, do they, Darush?


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## arielipi

Servant is more of natin(=under one's control), sharat is janitor as it serves the corporation.


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## terredepomme

In East Asian history, 奴(nu/nu/no) is a male slave, 婢(bi/hi/bi) a female slave. Collectively, they are called 奴婢(nubi/nuhi/nobi).


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## ThomasK

But then no distinction between servant and slave? And no reference to youth?


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## arielipi

Mesharet is more like servant, eved is more of slave.


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## darush

ThomasK said:


> That might be quite right, AutumnOwl, but I keep wondering. Could it not have to do with the young being considered indebted to and therefore servants of parents, often 'ouders' (olders), the older ones?
> 
> 
> 
> They don't have a common root, do they, Darush?


Hi Thomask
I don't know. they don't seem to have a common root.


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