housemother

American  

[hous-muhth-er] / ˈhaʊsˌmʌð ər /

noun

1. a woman in charge of a residence, especially for children, students, or young women, who acts as hostess, chaperon, and occasionally as housekeeper.

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Other Word Forms

• housemotherly adjective

Etymology

Origin of housemother

First recorded in 1830–40; house + mother ¹

Example Sentences

And then, there was Charlotte Rae, who played the wise and patient housemother Mrs. Garrett.

From Fox News • Dec. 18, 2021

Dasani’s housemother is 37-year-old Tabitha McQuiddy, a white Pennsylvania native with blond highlights and a long plaid skirt.

From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2021

She also replaced Charlotte Rae in 1986 as the housemother to a group of female adolescents on “The Facts of Life,” staying with the NBC sitcom until its cancellation in 1988.

From Washington Post • Jan. 27, 2021

Sagar Nepali, a sturdy, 11-year-old boy with warm, determined black eyes, wearing a dirt-stained black hooded sweatshirt, is playing with a packet of temporary tattoos given to him and his friends by their housemother.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2015

The housemother gave me my room number and then sent me upstairs.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

• dowager
• housekeeper
• matriarch