English

Alternative forms

• char-woman

Noun

charwoman ‎(plural charwomen)

1. (chiefly Britain) A woman employed to do housework.
   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 17, in The Mirror and the Lamp:

     This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything.

Note: In the nineteenth century, the charlady worked for weekly wages and usually came and went on a daily basis.

Synonyms

• charlady
• Cinderella (disparaging)
• cleaning woman

Translations