noun
charwoman
CHAR-wum-uhn/ˈtʃɑːrwʊmən/
A woman employed to clean houses or offices.
The novel's charwoman cleans the office floors before the clerks arrive each morning.
Etymology
Char developed from a “turn” into a turn of work or odd job, and is related to chore. A charwoman was a woman hired by the day for odd work, now specifically cleaning.
In context
besides doing the cooking and the washing, she did the sewing and worked as a charwoman and gave her sister all she earned.
More examples
- The household employed a charwoman twice a week.
- A charwoman carried her bucket up the stairs.
- The historian describes the working lives of London charwomen.
Forms
charwoman · charwomen
Similar words
- cleaner
- Cleaner is the usual gender-neutral modern term; charwoman is an older term specifically for a woman.