'barmaid' originates from English, specifically a compound of the words 'bar' and 'maid', where 'bar' referred to a counter or barrier and 'maid' meant a young woman or female servant.

'maid' comes from Old English 'mægden' meaning 'young woman', which developed into Middle English 'maid' and combined with 'bar' in Early Modern English to form the compound 'bar-maid', eventually becoming the single word 'barmaid'.

Initially, 'maid' meant 'young woman' or 'female servant'; over time the compound came to mean specifically a woman who works serving drinks at a bar, the current meaning of 'barmaid'.