Basic Details
Word: Seamstress
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A woman whose job is sewing, especially making or mending clothes.
Synonyms: dressmaker, needlewoman, tailor
How to Spell Seamstress
Syllables: seam - stress
Tricky part: The first part is seam, the line where two pieces of cloth are stitched, not seem. The end is -stress with a double s, and the t must not be lost: seamtress and seamstres are both wrong.
Watch out for: seemstress, seamtress, seamstres
Memory tip: A seamstress sews seams, so start with seam. Then add stress: stitching every seam straight is hard work.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The seamstress let out the waist of my school trousers so they would fit for one more year.
Example 2: In the village, the seamstress worked on a pedal sewing machine near her front door.
Example 3: Before the wedding, every seamstress in the lane was busy with blouses and lehengas.
Fun Fact
The word carries two feminine endings. The Old English ending -estre, seen in spinster, was once used for women workers, and -ess was added on top of it later.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters:
s_ams_re_s
a) e, d, s
b) i, t, s
c) e, t, s
d) e, t, t
Show answer
c) e, t, s. Spell the two parts you can see: seam, then stress with its t and its double s.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are misspelt and one is correct. Choose the meaning of the correct word:
1. needelwork 2. embroidary 3. tailering 4. seamstress
a) decorative stitching on cloth
b) sewing or other work done with a needle
c) a woman whose job is sewing
d) the work of making clothes to fit a person
Show answer
c) a woman whose job is sewing. Look at the endings: embroidery needs -ery, tailoring an o and needlework the -le of needle. Seamstress has no such slip.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
My aunt is a skilled rssmetsaes who stitches lehengas for weddings.
a) mistress
b) seamstress
c) stresses
d) steamers
Show answer
b) seamstress. Count the letters: ten, with four s's and an a, and only seamstress uses all of them.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A seamstress would most likely use ____.
a) a spade and fork
b) a brush and paint
c) a hammer and nails
d) a needle and thread
Show answer
d) a needle and thread
2. If a seamstress lets out a seam, the garment becomes ____.
a) heavier
b) darker
c) shorter
d) looser
Show answer
d) looser
