amah
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Portuguese ama (“female nurse”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Medieval Latin amma (“wet nurse, amma”), perhaps an alteration of mamma, of imitative origin, or from Ancient Greek.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈɑː.mə/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "Singapore English" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈɑː.mɑ/
Noun
amah (plural amahs)
- In South Asia, a woman employed to look after children; (formerly) a wet nurse.
- In China and Southeast Asia, a female domestic helper.
- 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society 2010, p. 20:
- Then one day he disappeared and when Luke called apprehensively at his apartment the old amah told him that ‘Whisky Papa runrun London fastee.’
- 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society 2010, p. 20:
See also
Anagrams
Indonesian
Etymology 1
Pronunciation
Noun
amah (first-person possessive amahku, second-person possessive amahmu, third-person possessive amahnya)
- female domestic helper.
Etymology 2
From Arabic عَامَّة (ʕāmma, “common people, public”).
Pronunciation
Noun
amah (first-person possessive amahku, second-person possessive amahmu, third-person possessive amahnya)