woman
woman Lexical Profile
woman Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An adult female human being.
"The woman at the reception desk greeted the visitors warmly and handed them their badges."
A female worker, employee, or attendant associated with a specified occupation, activity, or household.
"She was an accomplished businesswoman who mentored young entrepreneurs across the country."
A wife, girlfriend, or female romantic partner (used chiefly in informal contexts).
"He wrote a heartfelt song dedicated to the woman he had loved for thirty years."
• verb
To staff, operate, or furnish with female personnel (often used as a deliberate counterpart to 'man').
"Volunteers from the local sorority agreed to woman the information booth throughout the weekend festival."
Word Nuance & Usage
Both the plural 'women' (/ˈwɪmɪn/) and the singular 'woman' (/ˈwʊmən/) have irregular vowel pronunciations in the first syllable despite identical spelling. In contemporary style guides, 'woman' is used as a noun rather than an attributive adjective before another noun (preferring 'female doctor' over 'woman doctor').
• Rhymes for woman
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'wīfmann', a compound of 'wīf' (meaning 'woman' or 'female', which later narrowed to 'wife') and 'mann' (meaning 'human being' or 'person', regardless of gender).