au pair
noun /ˌəʊ ˈpeə(r)/
/ˌəʊ ˈper/
- a young person, usually a woman, who lives with a family in a foreign country in order to learn the language. An au pair helps in the house and takes care of children and receives a small wage.
- She worked in Paris for six months as an au pair.
- There are very few male au pairs.
- We decided to get an au pair to help with the children.
Word Originlate 19th cent.: from French, literally ‘on equal terms’. The phrase was originally adjectival, describing an arrangement between two parties paid for by the exchange of mutual services; the noun usage dates from the 1960s.