A young woman or girl hired to take care of children in a household, especially in past times.
From 'nurse' (originally a woman who cared for the sick) plus 'maid' (a female servant). The compound 'nursemaid' became common in English in the 1700s to describe a servant specifically employed to care for children.
In Victorian England, nursemaids were a common job for young working-class girls—they were basically live-in babysitters who took care of wealthy families' children and lived in the household as low-paid servants.
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