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# washerwife

noun

«washerwife» in the English dictionary: Early Modern English — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Early Modern English

### Meaning

A woman whose work is washing clothes for other people. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/emode/W/washerwife/#m1)

### Then and now

No longer used; today we say washerwoman.

### Examples

- And he caused the old washerwife and her daughter to be burnt. (More English Fairy Tales) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/emode/W/washerwife/#x1)
- And he caused the auld washerwife and her dochter to be burned. (The Blue Fairy Book) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/emode/W/washerwife/#x2)
- At seven years' end she got her iron shoon, clomb the glassy hill, and chanced to come to the old washerwife's habitation. (More English Fairy Tales) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/emode/W/washerwife/#x3)

### Note

Today: washerwoman.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «washerwife» in the Early Modern English dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/emode/W/washerwife/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«washerwife» in the Early Modern English dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/emode/w/washerwife.html) on Mova free.