woman
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈwʊm.ən/
ipa: /ˈwoʊ.mən/
ipa: [ˈwo.mɪn]
ipa: /ˈwʊm.ɘn/
note: Indic
ipa: /ˈwʊm.ən/
note: Indic
ipa: /wʊˈman/
rhymes: -ʊmən
homophone: women stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Forms: form: women
form: womxn
form: womyn
form: womxn
form: womyn
form: wymyn
form: womin
form: wommon
form: womon
form: wimin
form: wimmin
form: wimmen
form: wymmyn
form: weoman
form: whoman
form: wimen
form: womans
form: womens
Etymology: From Middle English womman, from earlier 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). 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").
Further information on vocalic development
The current pronunciation of the first vowel of the singular began to appear in western England in the 13th century under the rounding influence of the w, though the older pronunciation with /i/ (→ modern /ɪ/) remained in use into the 15th century. Although the vowel of the plural was sometimes also altered to /u/ (→ modern /ʊ/) beginning in the 14th century, the pronunciation with /ɪ/ ultimately won out there, possibly under the influence of pairs like foot–feet. However, some speakers (especially of New Zealand English or South African English) have either retained or reinnovated the pronunciation of the plural with /ʊ/. The modern spelling women for the plural is due to influence of the singular; it is attested from the 15th century.
For a time in the 16th and 17th centuries, the pronunciation of the singular sometimes drifted even further back towards /uː/ or /ɔː~oː/ (→ modern /oʊ~əʊ/) and the plural sometimes drifted even further forward towards /iː/, leading to comparisons of the words to "woe man" or "we men".)
Senses: examples: text: 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.
ref: 1887, Helen Campbell, Prisoners of poverty: their trades and their lives, page 120:
text: 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.
ref: 1888 September 6, Michigan School Moderator, page 402, column 3:
text: Cause I'm every woman / It's all in me
ref: 1978, Ashford & Simpson, “I’m Every Woman”, in Chaka, performed by Chaka Khan:
text: During World War II, many women worked as blacksmiths in the shipbuilding industry and found they liked the challenging, independent work.
ref: 1979, Muriel Lederer, Blue-collar jobs for women, page 59:
text: 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.
ref: 1985, Anthony King, The British Prime Minister, Duke University Press, →ISBN:
text: "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."
ref: 2012, Kate Welsh, Substitute Daddy, →ISBN:
text: 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.
ref: 2020 August 18, Veronica Chambers, The Staff of The New York Times, Finish The Fight!: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote, HarperCollins, →ISBN:
glosses: An adult female human.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, “The Balance Turns”, in She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC, page 191:
text: “[…] 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.”
ref: 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
text: I am Woman, hear me roar / In numbers too big to ignore
ref: 1972, Helen Reddy, I Am Woman, first line:
text: For if modern woman is so intent on keeping her surname alive, why not demand it be passed along to her children?
ref: 1997, Bob Grant, Let's Be Heard, page 42:
text: Unsurprisingly, if modern man is a sort of camera, modern woman is a picture.
ref: 2011, Eileen Gray and the Design of Sapphic Modernity: Staying In, page 109:
glosses: All female humans collectively; womankind.
examples: text: Sir, have you ever served with any Bajoran women?
ref: 1993, Michael Piller, “Emissary”, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, season 1, episode 1, spoken by Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney):
text: To be born a woman has been to be born, within an allotted and confined space, into the keeping of men.
ref: 2003, Amelia Jones, The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader, Psychology Press, →ISBN, page 37:
text: One of the elves, a woman with long auburn hair, was garbed identically to the two dwarves.
ref: 2007, Clifford B. Bowyer, The Siege of Zoldex, Silver Leaf Books, LLC, →ISBN, page 307:
text: 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—[…]
ref: 2008, Christopher Paolini, Brisingr: Or The Seven Promises of Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Bjartskular - Inheritance Book Three, →ISBN, page 549:
text: At the very dawn of religion, God was a woman.
ref: 2012, Merlin Stone, When God Was A Woman:
text: There was a pair of burly dwarves – a woman and a man – bearing the markings of the formidable Thane Guards.
ref: 2014, Oisin McGann, Kings of the Realm: Cruel Salvation, Penguin UK, →ISBN:
glosses: A female person, usually an adult: a (generally adult) female sentient being, whether human, supernatural, elf, alien, etc.
examples: text: And then, when he lies with his woman, the man may concurrently be with God, and so get increase of his soul.
ref: 1914, D. H. Lawrence, Study of Thomas Hardy and Other Essays, chapter 7: "Of Being and Not-Being"
glosses: A wife (or sometimes a fiancée or girlfriend).
examples: text: Perhaps my problem is that I am a cat woman. I can't imagine any finicky feline (and they all are that at one time or another) slobbering over anyone, even a beloved owner, the way a dog does.
ref: 2004, Hyveth Williams, Secrets of a Happy Heart: A Fresh Look at the Sermon on the Mount, page 70:
glosses: A female person who is extremely fond of or devoted to a specified type of thing. (Used as the last element of a compound.)
examples: text: By her woman I sent your message.
ref: 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
glosses: A female attendant or servant.
Synonyms: word: lady
word: female
word: more at Thesaurus:woman
word: babe
word: baggage
word: bim
word: bint
word: bird
word: bitch
word: blone
word: broad
word: chick
word: covess
word: dame
word: donna
word: feme
topics: law
word: femme
word: femoid
word: frau
word: frow
word: gal
word: gentlelady
word: ginch
word: hen
word: ho
word: huwoman
word: maness
word: mort
word: mulier
word: placket
word: pussy
word: queen
word: she
word: sheila
word: skirt
word: squaw
word: thot
word: tía
word: twist
word: vaginoid
word: wan
word: wife
word: woman
word: wommon
word: womon
word: womxn
word: womyn
word: wimmin
Hypernyms: word: man
word: human
word: female
word: person
Hyponyms: word: advance woman
word: aircraftswoman
word: airwoman
word: almswoman
word: antiwoman
word: apewoman
word: artillerywoman
word: axewoman
word: bargewoman
word: barwoman
word: basewoman
word: basketwoman
word: beggarwoman
word: black widow
word: blueswoman
word: boatwoman
word: bondwoman
word: bowerwoman
word: bowwoman
word: brakewoman
word: businesswoman
word: butt-woman
word: camerawoman
word: careerwoman
word: cattlewoman
word: catwoman
word: cavewoman
word: chairwoman
word: charwoman
word: cis woman
word: clergywoman
word: clubwoman
word: coachwoman
word: comfort woman
word: committeewoman
word: con woman
word: Cornishwoman
word: councilwoman
word: counterwoman
word: countrywoman
word: craftswoman
word: crewwoman
word: cunning woman
word: dairywoman
word: deliverywoman
word: doorwoman
word: Dutchwoman
word: Earthwoman
word: enwoman
word: ferrywoman
word: firewoman
word: first woman
word: fisherwoman
word: fishwoman
word: flagwoman
word: forewoman
word: freedwoman
word: Frenchwoman
word: fussock
word: garbage woman
word: gatewoman
word: gentlewoman
word: gleewoman
word: groundswoman
word: guardswoman
word: gunwoman
word: hangwoman
word: helmswoman
word: henchwoman
word: herbwoman
word: hillwoman
word: horsewoman
word: Irishwoman
word: jazzwoman
word: kept woman
word: laundrywoman
word: leatherwoman
word: liegewoman
word: lineswoman
word: little woman
word: lobsterwoman
word: loose woman
word: madwoman
word: markswoman
word: medicine woman
word: merchantwoman
word: merwoman
word: middlewoman
word: militiawoman
word: milkwoman
word: muscle woman
word: needlewoman
word: New Woman
word: noblewoman
word: nonwoman
word: Norsewoman
word: nurserywoman
word: old lady
word: old woman
word: one-upwomanship
word: other woman
word: outdoorswoman
word: penwoman
word: plainswoman
word: policewoman
word: poultrywoman
word: Proverbs woman
word: public woman
word: ranchwoman
word: repairwoman
word: riflewoman
word: right-hand woman
word: saleswoman
word: scarlet woman
word: Scotswoman
word: selectwoman
word: servicewoman
word: shopwoman
word: sidewoman
word: signalwoman
word: silkwoman
word: snowwoman
word: spacewoman
word: spearwoman
word: spokeswoman
word: sportswoman
word: stateswoman
word: stationwoman
word: steerswoman
word: stockwoman
word: storewoman
word: strange woman
word: strongwoman
word: stunt woman
word: stuntwoman
word: superwoman
word: swordswoman
word: tirewoman
word: townswoman
word: toywoman
word: tradeswoman
word: trans woman
word: transwoman
word: triggerwoman
word: Ulsterwoman
word: unwoman
word: warehousewoman
word: washerwoman
word: washwoman
word: watchwoman
word: weatherwoman
word: woman of easy virtue
word: woman of ill repute
word: woman of science
word: woman of the house
word: woman of the street
word: Wonder Woman
word: workwoman
word: yachtswoman
word: Yorkshirewoman
word: beautiful woman
word: gay woman
word: mother
word: promiscuous woman
word: shrew
word: ugly woman
Coordinate terms: sense: gender
word: man
sense: age
word: girl
Derived terms: adwoman
aircraftwoman
all-woman
applewoman
a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle
a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle
batswoman
battered woman syndrome
behind every great man is a great woman
behind every great man there stands a woman
behind every successful man there stands a woman
bellwoman
biowoman
black woman
blade-woman
bondswoman
bosswoman
bottom woman
bushwoman
butter-woman
butt woman
cabwoman
cakewoman
career woman
cavalrywoman
chamberwoman
Changing Woman
char-woman
cheesewoman
churchwoman
ciswoman
cis-woman
clanswoman
cleaning woman
cocklewoman
conjure woman
Connachtwoman
Corkwoman
corpswoman
dead woman walking
dewomanise
dewomanize
diabetic bearded woman syndrome
dried-fish woman
dustwoman
everywoman
every woman for herself
every woman Jill
fall woman
family woman
floorwoman
footwoman
freewoman
freshwoman
frontierswoman
frontierwoman
frontwoman
funnywoman
guildswoman
handywoman
hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
herdswoman
highwaywoman
hitwoman
huntswoman
huwoman
infantrywoman
ironwoman
journeywoman
jurywoman
kennelwoman
Kerrywoman
Klanswoman
lacewoman
lady's woman
leading woman
Leinsterwoman
longshorewoman
lotus woman
mailwoman
make an honest woman
man-woman
Mayowoman
megawoman
missing white woman syndrome
Munsterwoman
necessary woman
newspaperwoman
once a woman, twice a child
one hair of a woman can draw more than a hundred pair of oxen
one-woman
one-woman band
Orangewoman
outside woman
pantrywoman
panwoman
party woman
patrolwoman
piewoman
pitchwoman
pizza woman
ploughwoman
plowwoman
postwoman
pregnant woman
presswoman
pro-woman
railwaywoman
railwoman
reinswoman
remittance woman
Renaissance woman
Samsui woman
schoolwoman
Scotchwoman
scrubwoman
showwoman
slaughterwoman
sporting woman
straight woman
taliswoman
tallywoman
tally-woman
tartwoman
taxwoman
the old woman is plucking her goose
trans-woman
tripewoman
unwomaned
venirewoman
vestrywoman
wardswoman
weedwoman
white woman tears
white women's tears
wild woman
wingwoman
wise woman
wo/man
wolfwoman
-woman
woman about town
womanager
woman among women
woman and girl
woman-born-woman
woman cave
womance
womancentric
woman child
woman-child
womanchild
woman-day
womandom
woman enough
womanese
womanface
woman-fashion
woman fashion
womanflesh
womanfriend
womanful
womanfully
womanhandle
woman-handle
womanhater
woman-hater
woman hater
womanhating
womanhead
womanhood
woman-hour
womanhunt
woman-identified-woman
womanifesto
womanipulation
womanish
womanism
womanist
womanistic
womanize
womanizer
womankind
woman king
womanless
womanlike
womanlover
womanly
woman-made
womannap
womanness
woman of few words
woman of ill fame
woman of letters
woman of means
woman of the cloth
woman of the hour
woman of the night
woman of the people
woman of the town
woman of the world
woman on the street
woman overboard
womanpower
womanproof
womanservant
woman-sized
woman-slaughter
womanspeak
womansplain
womansplaining
womanspreading
woman talk
womanthrope
womantic
womanward
womanwise
woman ☕
womban
women are wonderful effect
womencentric
womenfolk
women's business
Women's Christmas
women's clothing
women's lib
women's libber
women's liberation
women's refuge
women's rights
women's room
women's shelter
women's studies
women's troubles
women's work
woodswoman
workingwoman
world's fastest woman
yes woman
Related terms: word: lover
word: sexual partner