meid
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: méid
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Afrikaans meid, from English maid. Doublet of maid.
Pronunciation
Noun
meid (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
Afrikaans
Etymology
Noun
meid (plural meide)
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch meit, variant of meget, from Old Dutch *megith, *magath, from Proto-Germanic *magaþs. Doublet of maagd.
Pronunciation
Noun
meid 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
- Use in the singular may connote fortitude, bravery or maturity, 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
Descendants
Anagrams
Estonian
Pronoun
meid
Middle English
Noun
meid
- Alternative form of mede (“reward”)
Norwegian Nynorsk
Noun
meid m (definite singular meiden, indefinite plural meidar, definite plural meidane)
- (pre-1901 (Landsmål) or dialectal) alternative form of mei
Veps
Pronoun
meid
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