washerwoman

American  

[wosh-er-woom-uhn, waw-sher-] / ˈwɒʃ ərˌwʊm ən, ˈwɔ ʃər- /

noun

plural

washerwomen

1. a woman who washes clothes, linens, etc., for hire; laundress.

---

washerwoman British  

/ ˈwɒʃəˌwʊmən /

noun

1. a person who washes clothes for a living

---

Gender

See -woman.

Etymology

Origin of washerwoman

First recorded in 1625–35; washer + -woman

Example Sentences

Inside, the parlor is a thicket of people—all the boarders of the house and even more: My aunt’s suffragette friends are here, and the washerwoman who comes for the bedclothes.

From Literature

“I am not a washerwoman, Nell. I am not a secretary or a bookkeeper. For your information, I am a detective. In fact, I am the first woman Mr. Pinkerton has ever employed as such.”

From Literature

She works as a washerwoman and says her son suffers from a disability which doesn't allow him to work.

From BBC

At the foundry, Rhodes-Pitts helped model the form for another bronze, “Last Garment,” being shown in Venice — a washerwoman, bent over and kneading a garment in a reflecting pool.

From New York Times

June Brown, who has died at the age of 95, won her place in British hearts playing the chain-smoking washerwoman, Dot Cotton in EastEnders.

From BBC