head servant; senior maid
Historical term for a senior female servant in a household, often in charge of other maids. Not used in modern employment contexts.
In large merchant houses of the Edo period, the head servant supervised the lower maids.
Compound of 上 (kami, 'upper' or 'head') and 女中 (jochū, 'maid'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term follows a common pattern for ranking servants.