amah

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Portuguese ama (“female nurse”), from Medieval Latin amma (“wet nurse, amma”), perhaps an alteration of mamma, of imitative origin, or from Ancient Greek.

Pronunciation

Noun

amah (plural amahs)

  1. In South Asia, a woman employed to look after children; (formerly) a wet nurse.
  2. 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.’

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Anagrams

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