Definition

Noun: A woman who is employed to supervise, care for, and act as a chaperone for a group of young people living together in a residence, such as a dormitory, fraternity, sorority, or boarding school house. Her role combines elements of supervision, guidance, and domestic management.

Usage

The term is used to describe a specific supervisory role within a communal living situation for youth or students. It implies responsibility for the well-being, discipline, and sometimes the domestic routine of the residents.

Examples

• The university hired a new housemother for the sorority to provide guidance and enforce the house rules.
• The boarding school's housemother was a kind but firm presence who helped the students adjust to living away from home.
• The young men at the fraternity respected their housemother, who often offered them advice.

Advanced Usage

• The role of a housemother often extends beyond simple supervision to include mentoring and providing emotional support.
• In some contexts, the term can carry a slightly old-fashioned connotation, evoking a traditional model of residential care.

Variants and Related Words

• Houseparent (noun): A more gender-neutral term for an adult supervising a group-home or residential facility for young people.
• Dormitory Supervisor / Resident Advisor (noun): Titles for similar roles in educational settings, though these may not imply the same domestic or chaperoning functions.
• Matron (noun): A woman in charge of domestic and medical arrangements in an institution; can be similar but often in a broader institutional context (e.g., school matron).

Synonyms

• Chaperone (noun): A person who accompanies and looks after another person or group of people.
• Supervisor (noun): A person who supervises activities or people.
• Housemistress (noun): A chiefly British term with a very similar meaning.

Related Phrases

• To serve as housemother: To work in the capacity of a housemother.
  • After her own children left for college, she decided to serve as housemother for a local fraternity.

Noun

1. a woman employed as a chaperon in a residence for young people