meid
See also: méid
English
editEtymology
editBorrowed from Afrikaans meid, from English maid. Doublet of maid.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editmeid (plural meide)
- (South Africa, offensive) A female domestic servant, usually non-white. [from 20th c.]
- (South Africa, offensive) A black woman. [from 19th c.]
Anagrams
editAfrikaans
editEtymology
editFrom English maid (“female domestic servant”).
Noun
editmeid (plural meide)
Dutch
editEtymology
editFrom Middle Dutch meit, variant of meget, from Old Dutch *megith, *magath, from Proto-Germanic *magaþs. Doublet of maagd.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editmeid f (plural meiden, diminutive meisje n or meiske n or meidje n)
- girl, lass
- De meiden hadden afgelopen zaterdag een zwemwedstrijd.
- The girls had a swimming match last Saturday.
- Goed gedaan, meid! ― Well done, girl!
- maid
- Synonyms: deerne, dienstbode, dienstmaagd, dienstmeid
- Commonly used as an address for female pets, especially female dogs.
- Brave meid! ― Good girl!
Usage notes
edit- Use in the singular may connote fortitude, bravery or acting like a grown-up, but it may also connote vulgarity or subservience due to the meaning “maid”. These connotations are much weaker in the plural, which can be used neutrally with little regard for context.
- Use for adult women (and to a lesser degree for older adolescent girls) is often considered patronising, which is especially true of the diminutives.
- The diminutive meidje is uncommon; the regular diminutive is meisje along with its variants meiske and meisie.
Derived terms
editDescendants
editAnagrams
editEstonian
editPronoun
editmeid
Middle English
editNoun
editmeid
- Alternative form of mede (“reward”)
Norwegian Nynorsk
editNoun
editmeid m (definite singular meiden, indefinite plural meidar, definite plural meidane)
- (pre-1901 (Landsmål) or dialectal) alternative form of mei
Veps
editPronoun
editmeid
Categories:
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