Plural of bonne; French housemaids, servants, or chambermaids, often employed in English households during the Victorian era.
From French 'bonne' (good female, feminine of 'bon'), literally meaning 'good one' but used as the term for a female servant or maid in French and English households.
During the Victorian era, wealthy English families loved hiring French 'bonnes' because the French word itself made their servants sound more sophisticated and cultured—language as social status!
French 'bonnes' (good ones, feminine) historically referred to domestic servants, overwhelmingly women. The gendered term embedded class and gender hierarchies in European household labor.
Use only in historical context. When discussing household labor or servants, use gender-neutral terms like 'domestic staff' or 'household workers' unless period accuracy requires original language.
["domestic staff","household workers","servants"]
Women household workers performed essential unpaid or underpaid emotional and physical labor that sustained households and economies; their contributions remain understated in labor history.
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