in a subordinate position; "theology should be the handmaiden of ethics"; "the state cannot be a servant of the church"
a personal maid or female attendant in a subordinate position; "theology should be the handmaiden of ethics"; "the state cannot be a servant of the church"
If one thing is the handmaiden of another, the first thing helps the second or makes it possible. The fear is that science could become the handmaiden of industry