Revised as of
17 Jan 2023
Just because made and maid are homophones (and more specifically, heterographs), is no excuse for using them incorrectly.
While made can be an adjective, or more rarely a noun, it primarily functions as a verb whereas maid is all noun.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Made | Maid |
|---|---|
Peach and Blueberry Pie Before Baking by Adam Sharron is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Nothing like a homemade pie! |
The Chocolate Girl by Jean-Étienne Liotard is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — The maid bringing in the morning chocolate. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Morpheme: make
Adjective; Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: makes Third person present verb: makes |
Noun
Plural: maids |
| Adjective: [Usually in combination] Made or formed in a particular place or by a particular process Artificially produced Invented or made-up To tell made stories about oneself Prepared, especially from several ingredients Assured of success or fortune Noun:
Verb, intransitive:
Verb, transitive:
Cause (something) to exist or come about
Compel someone to do something Constitute
Gain or earn (money or profit) Arrive at (a place) within a specified time or in time for (a train or other transport)
[North American; informal] Induce someone to have sexual intercourse with one [In bridge, whist, and similar games] Win a trick
|
A female domestic servant
[In combination] Young woman who attends the bride at a wedding ceremony |
| Examples: | |
| Adjective: Nikons and Canons are Japanese-made cameras. Handmade chocolates are the best with all that real chocolate and butter. He’s a made man. She always made up stories about herself. It was a pre-made dish. Noun: Everything in here is ready-made. Verb, intransitive: She made as if to leave the room. Verb, transitive: The body is made from four pieces of maple. Baseball bats are made of ash. Buffalo’s milk can be made into cheese. She made her will. She made lunch for Lucy and Francis. I made us both a cup of tea. Have you kids made your beds yet? Drew made great fires. The drips had made a pool on the floor. He made his critics laugh. Unger made a speech of forty minutes. We made a deal. Pete made heavy demands on his people. Gianni made him an offer he can’t refuse. It was a marriage made in heaven. He was made a colonel in the Mexican army. The sale price and extended warranty made it an excellent value. The Excursion is the work which really made Wordsworth’s reputation. She bought me a brandy and made me drink it. They made an unusual duo. Ferns made good houseplants. When the police asked, Sherree made it to be some sixteen cars. We made a date for 7:30. He’d made a lot of money out of hardware. They hadn’t made it on time. With this single, the band had made it. They made it to the semifinals. Yeah, I made it with Ellie last night. Jane made the trick. Yay, partner, we made trump. |
She is but a maid.
The maid should be in soon. The butler hired a housemaid this morning. The parlour maid will answer the door. She had seven bridesmaids at her wedding. I need to hire a maid to keep the house clean. I love that the maids leave chocolates on our pillows. It is such a cliché, having the husband sleep with the maid. Helene said she and her husband like to play the naughty maid-and-the-butler in the bedroom. Ask the maid if she’s seen it. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: half-made, undermade | Adjective: maidish Noun: maidishness, submaid, undermaid |
| Phrasal Verb | |
| be made for make after make away make away with make for make it out to make it up to makes little of make nothing of make off make off with make out make out to be make someone out make someone up make something of make something out make something over make something up make up make with |
|
| History of the Word: | |
| From Old English macian, from a base meaning fitting. | From a Middle English abbreviation of maiden. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Made versus Maid
Apple Dictionary.com
Pinterest Photo Credits
Works Progress Administration Maid Poster by the WPA (1939) is in the public domain, as a work of a Works Progress Administration employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties, and as a work of the U.S. federal government (17 U.S.C. §§101 and 105), via Wikimedia Commons.
