chambermaid

IPA/ˈtʃeɪm.bə.meɪd/
IPA/ˈtʃeɪm.bɚ.meɪd/

chambermaid — noun

  • chambermaidsingular
  • chambermaidsplural

1. a female worker employed by a hotel to make beds and keep guest bedrooms neat

1.nounB1
Definition

a female worker employed by a hotel to make beds and keep guest bedrooms neat

Example

Greta works as a chambermaid at a seaside resort and starts her shift at seven every morning.

[[12, 23, "chambermaid"], [37, 47, "seaside resort"], [63, 82, "starts her shift at seven"]]

The chambermaid knocked gently before entering the guest's room to change the towels.

[[4, 15, "chambermaid"], [16, 22, "knocked gently"], [52, 68, "change the towels"]]

Common collocations
  • work as a chambermaid
  • chambermaid service
  • hire a chambermaid

Common Mistakes

Using chambermaid to refer to any hotel cleaner regardless of building area — chambermaid specifically cleans guest bedrooms, not public areas.

Assuming chambermaid is interchangeable with maid — a maid often works in a private home, while a chambermaid works in a hotel.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Maid is a broader term for any domestic worker who cleans, and may work in a private home rather than a hotel. Housekeeper often refers to a supervisory role in hotels who oversees cleaning staff, whereas a chambermaid performs the cleaning directly. Room attendant is the modern gender-neutral equivalent now standard in the hotel industry. Cleaner is a general term for anyone who cleans and may work in any setting, not specifically hotel bedrooms.

maid ↗housekeeper ↗room attendantcleaner ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Verbs

Phrases

  • work as a chambermaid
  • chambermaid service
  • ask the chambermaid for

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

From Middle English chambre (chamber, bedroom) + maide (maid, servant). The compound emerged in the 16th century, originally referring to a female servant responsible for cleaning private chambers in large households. By the 19th century the term shifted primarily to hotel contexts as the hospitality industry expanded.

First known use

1578

1578, in the meaning defined above