Wiktionary

meid

See also: méid

English

edit

Etymology

edit

Borrowed from Afrikaans meid, from English maid. Doublet of maid.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

meid (plural meide)

  1. (South Africa, offensive) A female domestic servant, usually non-white. [from 20th c.]
  2. (South Africa, offensive) A black woman. [from 19th c.]

Anagrams

edit

Afrikaans

edit

Etymology

edit

From English maid (“female domestic servant”).

Noun

edit

meid (plural meide)

  1. (now offensive) A domestic servant, usually non-white.
  2. (now offensive) A non-white woman.

Dutch

edit
 
Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nl

Etymology

edit

From Middle Dutch meit, variant of meget, from Old Dutch *megith, *magath, from Proto-Germanic *magaþs. Doublet of maagd.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

meid f (plural meiden, diminutive meisje n or meiske n or meidje n)

  1. girl, lass
    De meiden hadden afgelopen zaterdag een zwemwedstrijd.
    The girls had a swimming match last Saturday.
    Goed gedaan, meid! ― Well done, girl!
  2. maid
    Synonyms: bode, deerne, dienstbode, dienstmaagd
  3. 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

edit

Descendants

edit
  • Berbice Creole Dutch: meti
  • Petjo: meid

Anagrams

edit

Estonian

edit

Pronoun

edit

meid

  1. partitive of meie

Middle English

edit

Noun

edit

meid

  1. Alternative form of mede (“reward”)

Norwegian Nynorsk

edit

Noun

edit

meid m (definite singular meiden, indefinite plural meidar, definite plural meidane)

  1. (pre-1901 (Landsmål) or dialectal) alternative form of mei

Veps

edit

Pronoun

edit

meid

  1. partitive of mö
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=meid&oldid=79603067"