milkmaid

Everyday

1. (old use) A girl or woman who milks cows by hand or works in a dairy. tree →
2. (stories) A common character in old tales, nursery rhymes and pictures of country life. tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons about farms before machines, milkmaids milked cows by hand. In science history, the doctor Edward Jenner noticed in the 1790s that milkmaids who caught cowpox did not catch smallpox, which led to the first vaccine. In stories and fables, «The Milkmaid and Her Pail» teaches not to count your chickens before they hatch. Phrases: The Milkmaid and Her Pail.

Examples

• The milkmaid carried two buckets of milk. tree →
• Edward Jenner studied a milkmaid called Sarah Nelmes. tree →
• In the fable, the milkmaid dreamed of riches and spilled her milk. tree →
• Milkmaids got up very early to milk the cows. tree →
• The painting shows a milkmaid pouring milk. tree →
• Today, milking machines do the work of the old milkmaids. tree →
• “There!” cried the milkmaid angrily. “See what you have done! tree →

Note

Countable; one word. Old-fashioned: today people say «dairy worker» or «dairy farmer». Related: milkman (who delivers milk).