Charwoman/lady

Origin of: Charwoman/lady

Charwoman/lady

Charwoman is a British term for a domestic servant, a woman hired by the day who does house cleaning and odd jobs around the house. The term dates from the late 16th century and has nothing to with char as in tea but derives from an old medieval word chare meaning an odd job or task for which the current word chore is a variant. Charlady, perhaps a more respectful term than charwoman, dates from the late 19th century.