'handmaiden' originates from Old English and Middle English compounds of 'hand' + 'maiden', specifically from Old English elements like 'hand' and 'mægden' (or Middle English 'mayde'/'maiden'), where 'hand' meant 'hand' and 'mægden'/'maiden' meant 'young woman' or 'maid'.

'handmaiden' changed from Middle English forms such as 'handmayde'/'handmaide' (a compound of 'hand' + 'mayde') and eventually became the modern English word 'handmaiden'.

Initially it meant a literal 'female servant or attendant', but over time it also acquired a figurative sense of 'something that serves or is subordinate to another' (as in 'the handmaiden of').