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dhobi

British

/ ˈdəʊbɪ /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dhobi

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

dhobi

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

From Economist ● Mar. 17, 2016

Her pockets were emptied as a matter of routine by Aniyan the dhobi.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

The dhobi stands in the stream and rinses the linen in the running water, sometimes using a little soap.

From India and the Indians by Edward Fenton Elwin

When at last the face was raised I recognized the dhobi of the village that nestled under the hill on which was perched the castle of the zemindar.

From Tales of Destiny by Edmund Mitchell

I'll send a message down to the dhobi to get your wash ready by noon tomorrow.

From Banked Fires by E. W. (Ethel Winifred) Savi

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023