ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ noun
Etymology: Middle English, from hand + maiden
: handmaid
good sense which … is the indispensable handmaiden of the critical art — Carlos Baker
literature must never become the handmaiden of the history program or the science program — A.S.Artley
ethics is not the handmaiden of theology — Brand Blanshard
• hand·maid·en·ly -lē adjective