woman

Etymology
From, , , from , a compound of 🇰🇲. For details on the pronunciation and spelling history, see the usage notes below.

Cognate with 🇨🇬,, 🇨🇬. Similar constructions can be found in (from  and, literally "woman human").

A few alternative spellings (see below) respell the term so as not to contain man.

Noun

 * 1) An adult female human.
 * 2)  All female humans collectively; womankind.
 * 3) A female person, usually an adult; a (generally adult) female sentient being, whether human, supernatural, elf, alien, etc.
 * 4) A wife (or sometimes a fiancée or girlfriend).
 * 5) * 1914,, Study of Thomas Hardy and Other Essays, chapter 7: "Of Being and Not-Being":
 * And then, when he lies with his woman, the man may concurrently be with God, and so get increase of his soul.
 * 1) A female person who is extremely fond of or devoted to a specified type of thing.
 * 2) A female attendant or servant.
 * 1)  All female humans collectively; womankind.
 * 2) A female person, usually an adult; a (generally adult) female sentient being, whether human, supernatural, elf, alien, etc.
 * 3) A wife (or sometimes a fiancée or girlfriend).
 * 4) * 1914,, Study of Thomas Hardy and Other Essays, chapter 7: "Of Being and Not-Being":
 * And then, when he lies with his woman, the man may concurrently be with God, and so get increase of his soul.
 * 1) A female person who is extremely fond of or devoted to a specified type of thing.
 * 2) A female attendant or servant.
 * 1) A female person, usually an adult; a (generally adult) female sentient being, whether human, supernatural, elf, alien, etc.
 * 2) A wife (or sometimes a fiancée or girlfriend).
 * 3) * 1914,, Study of Thomas Hardy and Other Essays, chapter 7: "Of Being and Not-Being":
 * And then, when he lies with his woman, the man may concurrently be with God, and so get increase of his soul.
 * 1) A female person who is extremely fond of or devoted to a specified type of thing.
 * 2) A female attendant or servant.
 * 1) A wife (or sometimes a fiancée or girlfriend).
 * 2) * 1914,, Study of Thomas Hardy and Other Essays, chapter 7: "Of Being and Not-Being":
 * And then, when he lies with his woman, the man may concurrently be with God, and so get increase of his soul.
 * 1) A female person who is extremely fond of or devoted to a specified type of thing.
 * 2) A female attendant or servant.
 * 1) A female attendant or servant.
 * 1) A female attendant or servant.

Usage notes

 * 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 (→ modern ) remained in use into the 15th century. Although the vowel of the plural was sometimes also altered to  (→ modern )  beginning in the 14th century, the pronunciation with  ultimately won out there, possibly under the influence of pairs like foot-feet. However, many speakers (especially of  or ) have either retained or reinnovated the pronunciation of the plural with . 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 or  (→ modern ) and the plural sometimes drifted even further forward towards, leading to comparisons of the words to "woe man" or "we men".)


 * As a term of address, the word is often considered patronizing and at least somewhat offensive; compare the usage of woman as a verb.


 * American grammarians and style guides often proscribe/reject the usage of woman as an attributive (a noun used to describe other nouns, as in "a woman leader", a usage which is sometimes mistaken for an adjective).   It has been said to be particularly common in Nigeria and India.

Synonyms

 * ; ; see more at Thesaurus:woman

Verb

 * 1) To staff with female labor.
 * 2)  To make effeminate or womanish.
 * 3)  To furnish with, or unite to, a woman.
 * 4)  To call (a person) "woman" in a disrespectful fashion.
 * 1)  To make effeminate or womanish.
 * 2)  To furnish with, or unite to, a woman.
 * 3)  To call (a person) "woman" in a disrespectful fashion.
 * 1)  To furnish with, or unite to, a woman.
 * 2)  To call (a person) "woman" in a disrespectful fashion.
 * 1)  To call (a person) "woman" in a disrespectful fashion.

Translations

 * Bulgarian: феминизирам
 * German: feminisieren,

Etymology
.

Noun

 * 1)  inula, elecampane ( spp., especially )