dhobi

British  

/ ˈdəʊbɪ /

noun

1. (in India, Malaya, East Africa, etc, esp formerly) a washerman

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Etymology

Origin of dhobi

C19: from Hindi, from dhōb washing; related to Sanskrit dhāvaka washerman

Example Sentences

"The Raj maintains here a slightly phantasmal sway," wrote Holden, "a situation rich in anomaly and anachronism… The servants are all bearers, the laundryman a dhobi, and the watchman a chowkidar," he wrote, "and on Sundays the guests are confronted with the ancient, and agreeable, Anglo-Indian ritual of a mountainous curry lunch."

From BBC

In Kutch, where the cyclone was expected to hit land, 57-year-old boat owner and businessman Adam Karim Dhobi said this was the worst storm he’d seen since 1998.

From Seattle Times

“We have parked our boats in safe places,” Dhobi said.

From Seattle Times

Varsha, the daughter of a dhobi, or laundry man, wants to be a police officer.

From Economist

A short distance away, Mathura Dhobi, 20, watched his rosy-cheeked, 3-year-old son waddle around the dirt courtyard of his family's home, a brick shed with plywood doors.

From Los Angeles Times