Ma'anar ƙamus na kalmar "au pair girl" tana nufin budurwa da ke zaune tare da dangi masu masauki a waje don koyan yare da al'adun ƙasar da aka yi bikin yayin ba da hidimar kula da yara ga iyali. Kalmar "au pair" ta samo asali ne daga kalmar Faransanci "au pair," wanda ke nufin "a kan daidai sharuddan," yana nuna cewa an yi nufin au biyu a matsayin memba na iyalin gida maimakon a matsayin ma'aikaci. Yawanci ana amfani da kalmar game da mata, kodayake maza kuma suna iya aiki azaman au pairs.