famula

Famula is a Latin noun meaning a female servant or slave attached to a household. It is the feminine form of famulus, sharing the same basic sense as the male counterpart, and it is often contrasted with ancilla, another term for a female domestic slave. The word derives from the broader concept of the familia, the household and its dependents.

In classical Latin texts, famula denotes a domestic attendant who performs tasks such as cooking, cleaning, childcare, and other services within the household. The term signals not only function but also social status: a slave attached to a family in Rome or its provinces. Authors varied in tone, sometimes neutral, sometimes conveying affection or paternalism in the relationship between a master and a famula.

In later Latin, famula is encountered less frequently as discussions of slavery evolve, with ancilla often preferred for female slaves. When it is used, it preserves the sense of a female servant within a household rather than broader service roles. The form remains primarily of historical and scholarly interest, appearing in translations, philological discussions, and historical accounts of Roman daily life.

See also: Ancilla (Roman slavery), Famulus, Slavery in ancient Rome.