丁稚でっち

noun

apprentice; shop boy

Historical term for a young live-in apprentice in a merchant or artisan household, common in the Edo period. In modern contexts, it may be used figuratively or in historical descriptions.

See also: 弟子 (でし)

• 江え戸ど時じ代だい、商しょう家かの丁稚でっちは朝あさ早はやくから夜よる遅おそくまで働はたらいた。

  In the Edo period, shop apprentices worked from early morning until late at night.

• 彼かれは丁稚でっちからたたき上あげて、ついに暖の簾れんを分わけてもらった。

  He worked his way up from an apprentice and was finally allowed to start his own branch.