crIada

criada is a feminine noun in Portuguese that denotes a female domestic worker, or maid. It derives from criado, the masculine form, and has historically referred to a person who serves a household. Criadas typically perform tasks such as cleaning, cooking, laundry, and childcare, and may work as live-in staff or as daily employees. The term is used across Portuguese-speaking regions but carries different connotations depending on locality and era.

Historically, criadas in Portugal and Brazil were central to household management and social hierarchies. In colonial Brazil and other Lusophone settings, many criadas were enslaved or indentured; later, as legal labor frameworks developed, the term came to apply to hired domestic workers who entered into formal or informal contracts. The word thus reflects both gendered labor and class relations.

In modern usage, criada can be seen as outdated or informal, and some speakers view it as pejorative. Many prefer the more formal empregada doméstica or trabalhadora doméstica in official or respectful contexts. The choice of term can signal attitudes toward domestic work and workers' rights. In cultural texts, cri ad as appear in stories and films to evoke historical settings or social dynamics.

Legal and social protections for domestic workers vary by country and have evolved over time. In Brazil, reforms have extended certain rights to domestic workers, while Portugal maintains its own labor framework for home-based staff. The term criada sits at the intersection of language, history, and labor practice, and remains a point of reference in discussions of gender, class, and work in Lusophone societies.