What does lauder mean?
A lauder is, literally, someone who washes clothes or linens, traditionally for a living. The word is comparatively uncommon in modern everyday English, where washer, washerwoman, laundress, and laundry worker may sound more natural. It is also used in the established phrase “money launderer” for a person or organization involved in concealing the source, ownership, or movement of illegally obtained money. As a verb, lauder corresponds to launder and means to wash clothes, usually with soap or detergent. The literal washing sense is now associated chiefly with professional laundering businesses, while the financial sense has become especially prominent in reporting on organized crime and anti-money-laundering enforcement. Though the literal meaning may sound old-fashioned, the word connects a familiar household activity with a major contemporary legal and financial concern.
A person who washes clothes, linens, or other fabrics, especially as an occupation.
"The lauder collected the sheets every Monday morning."
Less common in modern speech than washer or laundry worker; also used in the compound “money launderer.”
To wash clothes, linens, or other fabrics, especially with detergent and water.
"She lauders the hotel linens twice a week."
The verb form is uncommon; the more usual infinitive is “launder.”
The regular plural is used when referring to more than one person who performs laundering; the compound “money launderers” is also common.
"Several lauders operated competing shops near the station."
A lauder washes clothes, but “money launderer” uses the same agent noun for someone who conceals the source of illegally obtained money.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lauder come from?
The word belongs to the English verbal family surrounding launder and laundry, whose vocabulary ultimately derives from Latin lavare, “to wash.” The older English forms developed in contexts referring both to washing clothes and to the person or establishment responsible for washing them. The agent noun lauder was formed within this family with the suffix -er, meaning “one who performs the action.” Its modern financial sense arose by extension from the laundering of money, in which illicit funds are made to appear to have legitimate origins.
Related word forms
How lauder is actually used
The standalone noun is relatively uncommon; “laundress,” “washer,” and “laundry worker” are more usual in ordinary speech. “Money launderer” is an established compound with a figurative meaning.
Easily confused with lauder
A lauder is a gender-neutral term for someone who washes clothes, whereas a laundress specifically denotes a woman who does so.
A launder is the person who performs the washing, while laundry refers to the clothes being washed or to the washing service itself.