'seamstress' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'seamestre,' where 'seam' meant 'a line where two pieces of fabric are sewn together' and '-estre' was a feminine suffix.

'seamestre' transformed into the modern English word 'seamstress' through the addition of the suffix '-ess' to denote a female worker.

Initially, it meant 'a woman who sews,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.