Word definition: woman

Etimology


From Middle English womman, wimman, wifman, from Old English wīfmann (“woman”, literally “female person”), a compound of wīf (“woman, female”, whence English wife) +‎ mann (“person, human being”, whence English man); thus equivalent to wife +‎ man. For details on the pronunciation and spelling history, see the usage notes below. Cognate with Scots woman, weman (“woman”), Saterland Frisian Wieuwmoanske (“female person, female human, woman”). Similar constructions can be found in West Frisian frommes (“woman, girl”) (from frou and minske, literally "woman human"). A few alternative spellings (see below) respell the term so as not to contain man.

noun


woman (plural women)

An adult female human.

(collective) All female humans collectively; womankind.

A female person, usually an adult; a (generally adult) female sentient being, whether human, supernatural, elf, alien, etc.

A wife (or sometimes a fiancée or girlfriend).

A female person who is extremely fond of or devoted to a specified type of thing. (Used as the last element of a compound.)

A female attendant or servant.

Examples


But this woman is a nice German woman that fell on the ice and sprained her ankle last winter, and we saw to her well as we could till she got better.

Dr. J. H. Vincent, the great lecturer, says that a man's greatness consists in his courage; his inherent nobleness; his noble deeds, great exploits, and benefits to the world; but that behind every great man is a great woman - his mother.

Cause I'm every woman / It's all in me

During World War II, many women worked as blacksmiths in the shipbuilding industry and found they liked the challenging, independent work.

"There is nothing wrong with Melissa or the way she was raised. She is a sweet, kind, intelligent woman with a generous heart and more love for her child than you and Mother ever showed for either of your children."

Listen, Holly. Thou art a good and honest man, and I fain would spare thee; but, oh! it is so hard for woman to be merciful.

“ […] it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.”

I am Woman, hear me roar / In numbers too big to ignore

For if modern woman is so intent on keeping her surname alive, why not demand it be passed along to her children?

Unsurprisingly, if modern man is a sort of camera, modern woman is a picture.

Sir, have you ever served with any Bajoran women?

To be born a woman has been to be born, within an allotted and confined space, into the keeping of men.

One of the elves, a woman with long auburn hair, was garbed identically to the two dwarves.

Clearing a space between the tables, the men tested their prowess against one another with feats of wrestling and archery and bouts with quarterstaves. Two of the elves, a man and a woman, demonstrated their skill with swordplay— […]

At the very dawn of religion, God was a woman.

There was a pair of burly dwarves – a woman and a man – bearing the markings of the formidable Thane Guards.

And then, when he lies with his woman, the man may concurrently be with God, and so get increase of his soul.

Perhaps my problem is that I am a cat woman. I can't imagine any finicky feline slobbering over anyone, even a beloved owner, the way a dog does.

By her woman I sent your message.

Related words


synonyms

lady; female; see more at Thesaurus:woman

hypernyms

man (broad sense), human

hyponyms

advance woman

aircraftswoman

airwoman

almswoman

antiwoman

apewoman

artillerywoman

axewoman

bargewoman

barwoman

basewoman

basketwoman

beggarwoman

black widow

blueswoman

boatwoman

bondwoman

bowerwoman

bowwoman

brakewoman

businesswoman

butt-woman

camerawoman

careerwoman

cattlewoman

catwoman

cavewoman

chairwoman

charwoman

cis woman

clergywoman

clubwoman

coachwoman

comfort woman

committeewoman

con woman

Cornishwoman

councilwoman

counterwoman

countrywoman

craftswoman

crewwoman

cunning woman

dairywoman

deliverywoman

doorwoman

Dutchwoman

Earthwoman

enwoman

ferrywoman

firewoman

first woman

fisherwoman

fishwoman

flagwoman

forewoman

freedwoman

Frenchwoman

fussock

garbage woman

gatewoman

gentlewoman

gleewoman

groundswoman

guardswoman

gunwoman

hangwoman

helmswoman

henchwoman

herbwoman

hillwoman

horsewoman

Irishwoman

jazzwoman

kept woman

laundrywoman

leatherwoman

liegewoman

lineswoman

little woman

lobsterwoman

loose woman

madwoman

markswoman

medicine woman

merchantwoman

merwoman

middlewoman

militiawoman

milkwoman

muscle woman

needlewoman

New Woman

noblewoman

nonwoman

Norsewoman

nurserywoman

old lady

old woman

one-upwomanship

other woman

outdoorswoman

penwoman

plainswoman

policewoman

poultrywoman

Proverbs woman

public woman

ranchwoman

repairwoman

riflewoman

right-hand woman

saleswoman

scarlet woman

Scotswoman

selectwoman

servicewoman

shopwoman

sidewoman

signalwoman

silkwoman

snowwoman

spacewoman

spearwoman

spokeswoman

sportswoman

stateswoman

steerswoman

stockwoman

storewoman

strange woman

strongwoman

stuntwoman

stunt woman

superwoman

swordswoman

tirewoman

townswoman

toywoman

tradeswoman

trans woman, transwoman

triggerwoman

Ulsterwoman

unwoman

warehousewoman

washerwoman

washwoman

watchwoman

weatherwoman

woman of easy virtue

woman of ill repute

woman of science

woman of the street

Wonder Woman

workwoman

yachtswoman

Yorkshirewoman

coordinate terms

(gender): man

(age): girl

verb


woman (third-person singular simple present womans, present participle womaning or womanning, simple past and past participle womaned or womanned)

To staff with female labor.

(transitive) To make effeminate or womanish.

(transitive) To furnish with, or unite to, a woman.

(transitive) To call (a person) "woman" in a disrespectful fashion.

Examples


[…] he should prove, from the testimony of the most experienced seamen, that the vessel was, if not, strictly speaking, sufficiently manned, yet that she was sufficiently manned and womanned. The Gypsey was a vessel of 43 tons burden, and there were on board two able seamen and the Captain’s wife, who was a very good sailor;

Apparently the Sixty-ninth Street office of Bagby Answers, Inc., was being womaned for the day from other offices.

Gus Dinsmore, the public beach parking lot attendent, said he guessed that so many cars must be just stopped dead along the road that even those manned by able drivers would be unable to move.

The information desk is now manned by someone whose main job is to help you reserve time slots for the computers or guide you through the arduous process of “logging on.”

I have felt so many quirks of joy and grief / That the first face of neither on the start / Can woman me unto't.

And think it no addition, nor my wish, / To have him see me woman'd.

adjective


woman (not comparable)

(particularly Nigeria, India, sometimes proscribed) Of or relating to a woman/women; female.

Examples


But of course Britain since 1979 has had a woman prime minister, while no woman has ever come near to being president of the United States.

You can't spend months studying the history of the suffrage movement without gaining a new appreciation for the grit and gumption it takes to be a powerful woman leader.

Data provided by Wiktionary