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abigail

 
Dictionary: ab·i·gail

n.

[The proper name used as an appellative.]
A lady's waiting-maid. Pepys.

Her abigail reported that Mrs. Gutheridge had a set of night curls for sleeping in.
Leslie.

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(AB-i-gayl)

noun
A lady's maid.

Etymology
After Abigail, an attendant in The Scornful Lady (1610), a play by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. She was probably named after the Biblical character Abigail the Carmelitess, who often called herself a handmaid. The name Abigail derives from Hebrew Avigayil meaning "father's joy".

Usage
"Now haste ye, Mab's sweet abigails, And dress your queen for day!" — William Rose Benet (1886-1950).


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a lady's waiting maid
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A lady's waiting maid.

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Abigail (Bible)
Chileab (in the Old Testament)
Smells Like Teen Spirit (1995 Album by Abigail)

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Dictionary. Webster 1913 Dictionary edited by Patrick J. Cassidy  Read more
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