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.