kembster

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English kembestere, kempstare, kemster, equivalent to kemb +‎ -ster.

Noun

kembster (plural kembsters)

  1. (archaic, historical) A woman who cleans or combs out wool
    • 2005, Marjorie Keniston McIntosh, Working Women in English Society, 1300-1620, page 15:
      A married woman who supplemented her family's income by brewing ale or combing wool for yarn would not have been identified in the records as a brewster or kembster.
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