washerman
Professional laundry worker
A washerman is a man who washes clothes professionally, especially in South Asian contexts where the term refers to someone belonging to the traditional launderer caste or occupation.
The word appears in colonial-era texts and remains current in India, Pakistan, and neighboring countries: The washerman collected our linens every Monday.
The female equivalent is washerwoman.
Riverside stairway in India
- riverbankLand bordering a stream
- washhouseStructure for textile cleaning
- laundryItems needing cleaning
- clotheslineCord for air-drying laundry
stone slab · trough · basin · well · tank · stream · pond · public fountain
Flat-bladed water tool
detergent · basin · iron · flat iron · starch · bluing · clothespin · peg
Cleaning by rubbing hard
- beatingRepeated striking or pulsing
- wringingTwisting to extract moisture
- soakingCompletely saturated with liquid
- rinsingClearing with water
starching · ironing · pressing · bleaching · bluing · folding · drying · hanging
One who cleans clothing
- laundrymanProfessional clothes washer
- presserOne who applies force
- ironerCloth-smoothing appliance
- cleanerAgent that removes dirt
domestic worker · servant · dry cleaner · valet · housekeeper · bleacher · starcher · mangler
ghat
Riverside stairway in India
- riverbankLand bordering a stream
- washhouseStructure for textile cleaning
- laundryItems needing cleaning
clothesline · stone slab · trough · basin · well · tank · stream · pond · public fountain · Mumbai
paddle
Flat-bladed water tool
soap · detergent · basin · iron · flat iron · starch · bluing · clothespin · peg · rope
scrubbing
Cleaning by rubbing hard
- beatingRepeated striking or pulsing
- wringingTwisting to extract moisture
- soakingCompletely saturated with liquid
rinsing · starching · ironing · pressing · bleaching · bluing · folding · drying · hanging · boiling
launderer
One who cleans clothing
- laundrymanProfessional clothes washer
- presserOne who applies force
- ironerCloth-smoothing appliance
cleaner · domestic worker · servant · dry cleaner · valet · housekeeper · bleacher · starcher · mangler · laundress
- Indian occupationsayah, coolie, sepoy, rickshaw driver, peon
- craftsmenblacksmith, carpenter, cobbler, mason, weaver