Sc. [f. WASHER sb.1 + WIFE. Cf. G. wäscherweib.] A washerwoman.
1800. Monthly Mag., April, 238/2. In Scotland, the word linens is often used for linen. For example, ‘carry my linens to the washer-wife.’
1910. N. Munro, Fancy Farm, xi. The word itself [sc. gossip] is noble in its origin, for all its washer-wife associations.
