1. a female servant or attendant
Usage: archaic
2. a person or thing that serves a useful but subordinate purpose
Usage: literary

Examples

• The queen was attended by her faithful handmaids.
• In medieval times, noble ladies often had handmaids to help them dress.
• The handmaid carried her mistress’s jewelry box.
• Technology should be the handmaid of education, not its master.
• Science was once considered the handmaid of philosophy.
• The organization served as a handmaid to the larger movement.
• Her assistant acted as a willing handmaid to her ambitious plans.