Where Hong Kong got ‘amah’, old word for maidservant, from

The presence of female domestic helpers, especially for childcare, is widespread in Asian urban centres today, but the practice of employing nannies can be traced back a long way, as can be gleaned from the origins of the terms used.

The words “ayah” – a maidservant, nursemaid or gover­ness, usually of Indian or Malay origin, employed by Europeans in regions of the former British empire – and “amah” – a wet nurse or maidservant, of Chinese origin – are documented in Anglo-Indian English from the late 18th and early 19th centu­ries, respectively. Depictions of mid-19th-century Hong Kong include accounts of native baby amahs, corresponding to the rise in the number of European women and children in imperial centres and with it the demand for specialised servants.