Meanings
plural washerwomen
- A woman who washes people's laundry.
‘I wish it would rain,’ continued she; ‘only we are going to have a six-week’s wash to-morrow, and that’s a heavy job for the poor creatures. La! don’t you pity washerwomen in hot weather; it’s the hardest work that’s done.’
1810, [anonymous] […], chapter XXVIII, in Splendid Follies. A Novel, […]. Founded on Facts., volume III, London: […] J[ames] F[letcher] Hughes, […], →OCLC, pages 123–124Synonyms: laundress
- colloquialA double drummer, large cicada of Australia, of species Thopha saccata.
- A weedy plant of the Americas (Alternanthera caracasana).
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA woman who washes people's laundry.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna working woman who takes in washing
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Englishwasher
- Proto-Germanic*wībą
- Proto-West Germanic*wīb
- Old Englishwīf
- Proto-Indo-European*mon-
- Proto-Germanic*mann-
- Proto-West Germanic*mann
- Old Englishmann
- Old Englishwīfmann
- Middle Englishwoman
- Englishwasherwoman
Translations
Ancient Greek πλύντρια
- πλύντρια (plúntria)woman whose employment is laundering
Arabic غَسَّالَة
- غَسَّالَة (ḡassāla)woman whose employment is laundering
Bulgarian перачка
- перачка (peračka)woman whose employment is laundering
Catalan bugadera
- bugaderawoman whose employment is laundering
Czech pradlena
- pradlenawoman whose employment is laundering
Danish vaskekone
- vaskekonewoman whose employment is laundering
Esperanto lavistino
- lavistinowoman whose employment is laundering
Finnish pesijätär
- pesijätärwoman whose employment is laundering
French blanchisseuse, lavandière
- blanchisseusewoman whose employment is laundering
- lavandièrewoman whose employment is laundering
- laveusewoman whose employment is laundering
German Wäscherin, Waschfrau
- Wäscherinwoman whose employment is laundering
- Waschfrauwoman whose employment is laundering
Greek πλύστρα
- πλύστρα (plýstra)woman whose employment is laundering
Hindi धोबिन
- धोबिन (dhobin)woman whose employment is laundering
Hungarian mosónő
- mosónőwoman whose employment is laundering
Irish caile daibhche, bean níocháin
- caile daibhchewoman whose employment is laundering
- bean níocháinwoman whose employment is laundering
Norwegian vaskekone
- vaskekonewoman whose employment is laundering
Polish praczka
- praczkawoman whose employment is laundering
Portuguese lavadeira
- lavadeirawoman whose employment is laundering
Romanian spălătoreasă
- spălătoreasăwoman whose employment is laundering
Russian пра́чка, мо́йщица
- пра́чка (práčka)woman whose employment is laundering
- мо́йщица (mójščica)woman whose employment is laundering
Spanish lavandera
- lavanderawoman whose employment is laundering
Swedish tvätterska
- tvätterskawoman whose employment is laundering
Tagalog labandera
- labanderawoman whose employment is laundering
Yiddish וועשערין
- וועשערין (vesherin)woman whose employment is laundering
Cite this entry
washerwoman. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/washerwoman
“washerwoman.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/washerwoman. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “washerwoman,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/washerwoman.
Source: washerwoman on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.