A woman whose job is to sew clothes and make or repair garments.
From 'seam' (a line where two pieces of cloth join) combined with the occupational feminine suffix '-stress.' The word 'seam' comes from Old English 'seam.'
A seamstress is someone who works with seams, and 'seam' comes from Old English—but the '-stress' ending shows how English used to add '-stress' or '-ess' to make female versions of jobs (like actress, waitress), a practice we're moving away from!
Seamstress (feminine) vs. tailor (often masculine) reflects historical occupational segregation, where sewing was coded as women's domestic work rather than skilled craft, depressing wages and status.
Use 'tailor' or 'sewing professional' for skilled garment work. Seamstress is acceptable when specifically referencing historical women artisans, credited as skilled craftspeople.
["tailor","sewing professional","garment specialist"]
Women seamstresses and tailors were skilled artisans whose work was undervalued due to gendered labor hierarchy. Historical seamstresses deserve recognition for technical expertise, not just domestic contribution.
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