huisvrou, noun

Forms:
haus-vrouw, haus-vrowShow more Formerly also haus-vrouw, haus-vrow, huisvrouw, and with initial capital.
Origin:
Afrikaans, Dutch, GermanShow more Afrikaans, earlier Dutch huisvrouw, huis house + vrouw wife, woman, mistress. The spelling haus- shows the influence of German hausfrau.
The mistress of a house; a housewife; a wife; cf. vrou.
Note:
Usually denoting a speaker of South African Dutch, or subsequently Afrikaans (but see quotation 1948).
a1801 Lady A. Barnard S. Afr. Century Ago (1925) 65We then set to..to make our month as comfortable as might be. This, as a careful haus vrow, devolved on me.
1827 G. Thompson Trav. 140The huis-vrouw smiled at this proposal, and told me that we should have a bed-room to ourselves.
1834 T. Pringle Afr. Sketches 175During this refreshment, I carried on a tolerably fluent conversation in broken Dutch with my host and his huisvrouw.
1852 M.B. Hudson S. Afr. Frontier Life 11He led the way by His wagon containing his huis-vrouw and baby. [Source Note: Huis Vrouw (pronounced Huis Frow) — wife.]
1882 J. Nixon Among Boers 202You must shake hands..with every person in the room, beginning with the good lady, or haus-vrouw, who sits in state by the coffee urn.
1883 M.A. Carey-Hobson Farm in Karoo 171When they were at length seated..they found they were near the ‘Huis Vrouw,’ or hostess.
1904 H.A. Bryden Hist. of S. Afr. 37The Boer woman, or huis vrouw, of 1807, sat much at home.
1910 D. Fairbridge That Which Hath Been (1913) 264The baas and huisvrouw..came out on their stoeps and sank into the capacious chairs and rust-banks.
1924 D. Fairbridge Gardens of S. Afr. 41To begin with, the huisvrouw retrieved a small patch in front of the house, railed it in..and packed it as full as it could hold with Roses and Violets.
1934 J.G. Van Alphen in Stokes & Wilter Veld-Trails 17The heartsore huisvrou abstains from eating and keeps out of sight.
1948 O. Walker Kaffirs Are Lively 208The huisvrou, Dutch or English, in her own kitchen.
1977 S. Roberts in E. Pereira Contemp. S. Afr. Plays 232Jong, whoever invented weekends never had the huisvrou in mind, that’s for sure.
The mistress of a house; a housewife; a wife;
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18011977