Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A traditional washer of clothes and linens in South Asia.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
laundryman in India and Pakistan; awasherman .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word dhobi.
Examples
-
Spotted forktails are often seen near the places where the _dhobis_ wash clothes by banging them violently against rocks, hence the name dhobi-birds, by which they are called by many Europeans.
Birds of the Indian Hills Douglas Dewar 1916
-
Hailing from the 'dhobi' caste, which is one of the Scheduled Castes, Manish, as a student of Standard IX in Ballia was not very comfortable going to the homes of his classmates to collect clothes for washing or for delivering them after they were washed.
-
'dhobi' or traditional washerman, says he shifted into the area nine months ago because of its ready availability of water supply.
-
Scared my self the other day when I was tasked with putting on the washing machine – I asked Mrs Army where she kept the dhobi dust!
Gadget Election Thought For Today « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2010
-
By the standard of educated folks, our dhobi might be viewed as uneducated but he is wise.
Shahnaz Taplin-Chinoy: The Ecstasy and Agony of India -- From the Political to the Tribal Shahnaz Taplin-Chinoy 2012
-
Where my taxi driver and dhobi would have peace, their leaders see advantage in strife - where and when does India reach the tipping point and choose its path?
Shahnaz Taplin-Chinoy: The Ecstasy and Agony of India -- From the Political to the Tribal Shahnaz Taplin-Chinoy 2012
-
There was a cook, a bearer (the cook's assistant; he did the shopping), a sweeper (Rajasthan is dusty, so the sweeper did indeed spend his days sweeping – when he wasn't dusting), plus a gardener and the dhobi man (who collected the laundry each week).
My Indian summer 2011
-
As my husband and I stroll along the banks of the Gomti river, enjoying the wind blown, kaleidoscopic saris, freshly embroidered, starched and washed by the dhobis or washer men, then suspended to dry, we meet, chat and fall in love with a soulful dhobi.
Shahnaz Taplin-Chinoy: The Ecstasy and Agony of India -- From the Political to the Tribal Shahnaz Taplin-Chinoy 2012
-
When I offered the dhobi a small tip for hijacking him from his work, he refused the tip and touched my heart when he said, I spoke to you from my heart.
Shahnaz Taplin-Chinoy: The Ecstasy and Agony of India -- From the Political to the Tribal Shahnaz Taplin-Chinoy 2012
-
Mataprasad (the dhobi) and Chacha (the victoriawalla) are both in their fifties, and they have both seen better days.
jinglebelljosie commented on the word dhobi
an Indian washerwoman
August 16, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word dhobi
No, dhobi or dobi is Hindi for laundry. the dobi walla or wallah is the person (often male) who does the laundry
August 16, 2008
lilbirdy commented on the word dhobi
I've seen this one in WWF, as well! Thanks for adding!
August 20, 2011