An amah (simplifie Chinese: 阿嬷; traditional Chinese: 阿嬤; pinyin: āmā, Portuguese: ama,German: Amme, Medieval Latin: amma ; or ayah Hindi:āyā, Portuguese:aia, Latin:avia) is a girl or woman employed by a family to clean, look after children, etc. It is a domestic servant role that combines functions of maid and nanny.