Pl. women-servants. A female servant.
1529. Sel. Cases Star Chamber (Selden Soc.), II. 43. Other wymen and wymen seruands.
1539. Bible (Great), Gen. xx. 14. Men seruauntes & wemenseruauntes [1560 Geneva women seruantes].
1589. Rider, Bibl. Schol., 1670. A woman seruant.
1779–81. Johnson, L. P., Pope, Wks. 1787, IV. 15. She bribed a woman-servant to procure her a sword.
1838. Dickens, O. Twist, xxxiv. At this, the two women-servants lifted up their hands and eyes.
1855. Mrs. Carlyle, Lett., II. 263. A dirty woman-servant opened the door.
