What does washerman mean?
Washerman is an occupational noun for a man whose work is to wash clothing, linen, and other fabrics, usually in a commercial laundry. It appears especially in older British and American accounts of laundry work, where separate workers commonly handled washing, ironing, sorting, and folding. In modern English, the term survives in historical writing, occupational labels, and some regional job usage, but it sounds dated beside the more neutral washer, laundry worker, or commercial laundry. Although washerman plainly identifies a male worker, that distinction is no longer required in most contemporary contexts, so washer is often preferable when sex is irrelevant. The word is chiefly useful today for understanding older texts and labor histories: it names the human labor that washing machines and standardized industrial laundry services later automated.
nounA man employed to wash clothes, linen, or other fabrics, especially in a commercial laundry. The term is now largely dated, though it survives in historical writing and some occupational contexts.
- A man employed to wash clothing, linen, or other fabrics, especially as a worker in a commercial laundry.
"He began working as a washerman in a commercial laundry before the introduction of modern washing machines."
"The washerman collected the soiled linen from the hotel each morning."
"In the 1920s, she worked as a washerman in a large commercial laundry."
The standard plural is washermen, formed by changing -man to -men.
"The washermen worked from dawn until the day's laundry was finished."
Long before washing machines, a washerman performed by hand the work that household appliances would eventually automate.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of washerman
Washerman is a transparent English compound formed from washer, an agent noun derived from wash, and man, denoting a male worker. The compound has been used in English since at least the early modern period, initially in contexts where washing was performed manually as a recognized occupation. Related English words such as washhouse, washroom, and washstand share the same verb root, while the occupational formation follows the familiar English pattern of joining an agent noun with man.
How washerman is actually used
The term is occupational, dated, and explicitly gendered by the suffix -man. In contemporary neutral prose, washer or laundry worker is generally preferable when the worker's sex is irrelevant.
Easily confused with washerman
A washerwoman is the corresponding female occupational term, whereas washerman traditionally denotes a male worker.