kembster

English

Alternative forms

• kempster

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.