Putzfraun.
/ˈpʊtsfraʊ/, U.S. /ˈpʊtsˌfraʊ/ In Germany or German-speaking regions: a woman employed to do domestic work; a cleaner, charwoman.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > cleaning house > [noun] > one who
womanOE
scouring womana1627
schorerc1638
house cleaner1695
charmaid1882
spring cleaner1883
charman1888
charlady1895
char-boy1902
char1906
Putzfrau1906
chargirl1932
Mrs Mop1948
1906 Daily Kennebec Jrnl. (Augusta, Maine) 2 Oct. 6/5 As the number of guests in the house increased..a good, faithful, elderly woman was engaged for each forenoon..a ‘Putzfrau’ or scrubwoman.
1927 J. Joyce Let. 25 July (1966) III. 162 Mrs. Purefoy is not a Putzfrau.
1956 Traverse City (Mich.) Record-Eagle 2 Feb. 11/4 A Putzfrau (cleaning lady) works five hours a day keeping the rooms..spotless.
1977 Time 8 Aug. 22/3 Says one Greek Putzfrau (charwoman): ‘I know the West Germans wish us to hell.’
2005 First Things (Nexis) 1 Jan. 31 Any diverting story—even one as macabre as the ordeal of Schopenhauer's poor old Putzfrau—comes to the scholar as a cherished respite.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1906