1. A nursemaid or nanny, especially one employed in India or other South Asian countries.
Usage: Chiefly historical or regional; common in British English and Indian English.

Examples

• The British family hired an ayah to care for their children while they lived in India.
• The ayah prepared the children for bed each evening.
• In colonial times, many European families relied on an ayah to manage household childcare.
• The ayah taught the young girl Hindi and local customs.
• She worked as an ayah for over twenty years, raising three generations of the same family.