Housekeeper

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Housekeeper

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun

Pronunciation

HOWSS-kee-pur  /ˈhaʊskiːpə/

Definition

A person, typically employed, who manages the domestic affairs of a household or hotel, including cleaning, organising, and maintaining the premises; the head of the domestic staff in a large house or hotel.

Plain meaning

A housekeeper is someone who manages or takes care of a house — typically employed to clean, organise, and maintain a home or hotel. In a grand house or hotel, the housekeeper is the senior manager of all domestic staff. Mrs Hudson in Sherlock Holmes and Mrs Danvers in Rebecca are two of literature's most famous housekeepers.

Register

Neutral. Housekeeper is used in domestic employment, hotel management, and literature. It is a respectful professional term. In hotel management, the head of housekeeping is an important senior management role.