Seamstress
/ˈsiːm.strəs/noun
A woman who sews clothing or fabric professionally.
Did you know?The first part of *seamstress* comes from Old English *sēam* (“seam”), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning “to sew or join,” so the word literally carries the idea of binding pieces together.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sōmō / *sēm-
“a seam, something joined or stitched together”
Old English
OE
sēam
“a seam; a sewn join in cloth”
Middle English
ME
semesse / seamestre
“a woman who sews or works at seams”
15th Century
English
seamstress
“a female maker or mender of garments”
Modern English
English
seamstress
“a woman who sews clothing or fabric professionally”