Mamsell
A Mamsell (in the 18th century from French Mademoiselle , "Fräulein" borrowed) was a senior housemaid or housekeeper. In large households there were also specialized mothers-to-be, such as the kitchen mam as the head of the kitchen staff and the cold mum or cold mum who was responsible for cold dishes and buffets .
Initially, “Mamsell” was an honorable term for bourgeois girls or unmarried women, then changed to a job designation and is no longer used or only used jokingly today - with the exception of cold mamsell in gastronomy . The connection between marital status and occupation (s) can also be explained by the fact that many young women worked as mothers-to-be before they got married, thereby acquiring knowledge of housekeeping and giving up the profession after the wedding in favor of their own household.
See also
literature
- Mamsell. In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm (Hrsg.): German dictionary . tape 12 : L, M - (VI). S. Hirzel, Leipzig 1885 ( woerterbuchnetz.de ).