servant
/ˈsəːv(ə)nt
/noun
1A person who performs duties for others, especially a person employed in a house on domestic duties or as a personal attendant.Many girls are used as domestic servants and are prevented from attending school....
- Financially they were well enough established to be able to employ a domestic servant.
- Sometimes clients or their families treat caregivers as maids or domestic servants.
Synonyms
attendant, retainer;
domestic help, domestic worker, domestic, help, cleaner, cleaning woman/lady, helper;
lackey, flunkey, minion;
maid, housemaid, maidservant, lady's maid, handmaid, parlour maid, scullery maid, serving maid, girl, maid-of-all-work;
footman, page, page boy, valet, butler, man, gentleman's gentleman, batman, manservant, houseman, houseboy, boy;
housekeeper, steward, major domo;
coachman, postilion, equerry;
menial, drudge, hireling, slave, galley slave;
North American hired help;
in Spanish-speaking countries mozo;
Indian bearer, chokra, amah, bai
British dated charwoman, charlady, char, boots
South African, chiefly historical jong
British informal Mrs Mop, daily woman, daily, skivvy
British university slang scout, bedder, gyp
archaic seneschal, abigail, servitor, scullion, tweeny, servingman, servingwoman, serving wench, turnspit, varlet, vassal, serf
rare famulus
1.1A person employed in the service of a government: a government servant...See also civil servant, public servant.
- Being in public service exposes government servants to a lot of criticism, but praise, even if rare, is a great boost.
- Officers are employees and servants of the council and, in the last resort, take instructions from it.
- They also urged the public to come forwards with information in case they came across corrupt government servants.
1.2A devoted and helpful follower or supporter: he was a great servant of the Labour Party...
- This case also reminds me that even the most devoted servants of God are not over the Gospel but beneath it.
- The pattern made plain in the Saviour, and then the apostles, is to be followed by all his servants.
- He was a great servant of the Conservative Party, a devoted constituency member and a very good friend.
Synonyms
helper, supporter, follower
Origin
Middle English: from Old French, literally '(person) serving', present participle (used as a noun) of servir 'to serve'.