What does launderette mean?
A launderette is a self-service place where people wash and dry clothes using machines, normally by inserting coins or paying at a machine. The word is especially familiar in British English and is also used in the United States and several other Commonwealth countries, although North American speakers more often use laundromat. In everyday speech, launderette can refer both to the establishment and, informally, to the washing machines inside it. The term developed in the mid-20th century as a compact, euphemistic name for a modern convenience: the household wash could be completed without owning a washing machine or dryer. It is still associated with neighborhood shops, small laundries, and self-service facilities, although laundromats and laundry apps have broadened the range of options for doing laundry. The word combines the older English root launder with the suffix -ette, giving the facility a slightly diminutive and approachable character.
nounA self-service laundry, typically containing washing machines and dryers that customers use for a fee. The term is especially common in British English and is also used in the United States and other Commonwealth countries.
- A self-service establishment where customers wash and dry clothes using machines, usually for a fee.
"We took our clothes to the launderette while we were in town."
"There is a launderette just down the street from the apartment."
"The launderette was quiet on Sunday afternoon."
The regular plural adds -s.
"Several launderettes are open late near the campus."
A coinage from the mid-20th century, launderette turned the weekly wash into a convenient neighborhood errand.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of launderette
Launderette is a mid-20th-century English coinage formed from launder and the suffix -ette. The root launder is related to laundry and laundress and descends through Middle English and Old French from Latin lavandaria, a term associated with washing. The form reflects the naming of a small or self-service laundry during the period when such facilities became widely available.
How launderette is actually used
The word is particularly natural in British English and other Commonwealth varieties. In North America it is understood, although laundromat is generally more frequent. It may also refer more broadly to the machines themselves in informal use.
Easily confused with launderette
A launderette and a laundromat both refer to a self-service laundry, but launderette is especially common in British English, while laundromat is the more usual North American term.