laundress

American  

[lawn-dris, lahn-] / ˈlɔn drɪs, ˈlɑn- /

noun

1. a woman whose work is the washing and ironing of clothes, linens, etc.

---

laundress British  

/ ˈlɔːndrɪs /

noun

1. a woman who launders clothes, sheets, etc, for a living

---

Gender

See -ess.

Other Word Forms

• underlaundress noun

Etymology

Origin of laundress

1540–50; obsolete launder launderer ( launder ) + -ess

Example Sentences

Finally she reached the bottommost floor, which was the domain of the cook, the scullery maids, and the laundresses.

From Literature

Most significantly, it overturned a New York minimum wage law in a decision known as Tipaldo, after its detestable protagonist, the owner of a laundry who had been cheating his laundresses of their legal wages.

From Los Angeles Times

In a little over a year, my three-decade indenture as a full-time laundress will come to an end.

From Los Angeles Times

Ethel Waters in 1949 became the second Black performer to score an Oscar nomination as an illiterate Southern laundress in “Pinky.”

From Los Angeles Times

From emancipated sharecroppers to domestic servants, laundresses, blacksmiths and carpenters, Black laborers used apparel as a creative outlet amid dire conditions and despite limited resources, says the brand.

From Los Angeles Times