forelady

[ fawr-ley-dee, fohr- ]

/ ˈfɔrˌleɪ di, ˈfoʊr- /

a forewoman.

Origin of forelady

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; fore- + lady

See lady.

Mrs. Hall had been a forelady in a New York private dressmaking establishment.

Working With the Working Woman |Cornelia Stratton Parker
All this I had from the forelady in between her finding out everything there was to know about me.

Working With the Working Woman |Cornelia Stratton Parker
She is such a very nice person, our forelady—quiet, attractive, neat as a pin.

Working With the Working Woman |Cornelia Stratton Parker
It was almost twelve o'clock and no harm in calling the "forelady" in the cotton blouse department of the big factory.

Exit Betty |Grace Livingston Hill

Now, into my tone, as I spoke to the forelady bending over her account book, I put all the force I knew.

The Woman Who Toils |Mrs. John Van Vorst and Marie Van Vorst