housekeeper
UK[ˈhaʊsˌkiːpə]US[ˈhaʊsˌkiːpər]
n
a person, especially a woman, whose job is to manage the cleaning, cooking, and other daily tasks in a house or institution.
n
a person who manages the financial and household affairs of a large estate or organization.
Morpheme Breakdown
house
keep
er
house
dwelling
keep
maintain
er
agent suffix
Etymology
the word 'housekeeper' is a transparent compound formed within english from its germanic roots. the first element, 'house', has maintained its core meaning of a dwelling place from its proto-germanic ancestor 'hūsą'. the second element, 'keep', evolved from old english 'cēpan', which originally meant 'to hold' or 'to seize', broadening over time to encompass the sense of 'maintaining' or 'managing' something. the agent suffix '-er' was added to signify 'one who does'. thus, the literal 'one who keeps or maintains a house' logically evolved into the modern professional title for a person responsible for the domestic management and upkeep of a residence or establishment.
Analysis
Structure: house (dwelling) + keep (maintain) + er (agent suffix)
house: from old english 'hūs' (dwelling, shelter, building), of germanic origin. functions as the base noun denoting the place.
keep: from old english 'cēpan' (to seize, hold, observe), of germanic origin. functions as the verb root meaning to maintain or preserve.
er: from old english '-ere', an agent-noun suffix of germanic origin. functions to denote a person who performs the action.
Examples
the hotel employs a full-time housekeeper to ensure all rooms are impeccably clean.
she worked as a housekeeper for a wealthy family for over twenty years.
the university's head housekeeper is responsible for ordering supplies and supervising the cleaning staff.