Maid – An un-betrothed female virgin.
God used this word in its various forms 56 times in Scripture: 29 times in Israel’s Masoretic Text Old Testament; 7 times to Israel in their Koine Greek Old Testament; and once to Israel in the transition book of Acts.
Maids and maidens are always female and never betrothed. The difference between a maid and a maiden is a distinction of age; maid can be of any age, while a maiden is always a young girl.
In Scripture, people bought young chaste girls and young boys to help around the house and in the fields, but they were not considered part of the family. They would have the duties of a servant, or chores as a child, but were not considered as servants or heirs.
This word has been redefined today. The modern definition is “female servant or attendant charged with domestic duties”. In Scripture God calls them servants; a female virgin-servant is called a maidservant, and a male servant is called a manservant.
A handmaid, which God used 17 times in Scripture (16 times in Israel’s Masoretic Text Old Testament, and once in Israel’s Koine Greek Old Testament) is a virgin-female personal assistant. Both men and women can have handmaids.