Clothesman

/ˈkloʊðzmən/ noun

Definition

A person employed in making, selling, or dealing in clothes; a clothier or tailor.

Etymology

From clothes + man. An older occupational term from the 1600s-1800s for anyone whose primary work involved garments, now mostly replaced by specific terms like tailor, clothier, or designer.

Kelly Says

The term 'clothesman' reveals how clothing production was once primarily a male-dominated skilled trade, even though women did much of the actual sewing work—language often hides the invisible labor of women in history.

Ethical Language Guidance

Gender History

Male-default occupational term. 'Man' suffix historically restricted such roles to men in practice, even when women performed identical labor.

Inclusive Usage

Use 'clothier' or 'clothes seller' instead, which are gender-neutral and already standard in English.

Inclusive Alternatives

["clothier","clothes seller","garment worker"]

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.