Ayah

/ˈaɪ.ə/ noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A South Asian female servant, maid or nanny, historically, often one working for Europeans in South Asia.

    "She manufactured the Station scandal, and talked to her ayah."

  2. 2
    A verse in the Quran.
  3. 3
    (in India) a native nursemaid who looks after children wordnet

Example

More examples

"From which Surah is this Ayah from?"

Etymology

Etymology 1

From various Indian languages (e.g. Hindi आया (āyā, “dry nurse, nanny”)), from Portuguese aia (“nurse, governess”), from Latin avia (“grandmother”).

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic آيَة (ʔāya, “sign, token”).

More for "ayah"