'handmaid' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'hand-mǣgden' (or 'handmægd'), where 'hand' meant 'hand' and 'mǣgden' meant 'maid' or 'young woman'.

'handmaid' changed through Middle English forms such as 'handmaide' and 'handmade' and eventually became the modern English word 'handmaid'.

Initially, it meant 'a maid or young woman associated with tasks by hand or serving personally', but over time it evolved into the current meanings of 'female servant/attendant' and the metaphorical 'instrument or subordinate of something'.