woman
Pluralwomen
Pluralwomen
Formswomans, womaning, womaned
- 1An adult female human being; in fiction, also an adult female of any human-like being, such as an elf or alien.
A woman in a red coat stopped to ask for directions.
The women in the choir rehearsed late into the night.
UsageOne woman, two women (not
incorrect: a women). In women, the first syllable sounds like *wim*.Oppositeman
- 2Female humans considered collectively; womankind.
The exhibit traced how woman has been portrayed in art across the centuries.
He spoke of woman as the foundation of every society.
UsageUsed with no a or the: how woman is shown in art. Today women is the more usual way to say this.
Similarwomankind
Oppositeman
- 3One's wife, or occasionally one's fiancée or girlfriend.
He proudly introduced his woman to all his coworkers at the dinner.
My woman and I are saving up for a house of our own.
UsageUsually my woman, his woman. Many people find it possessive, so wife or partner is safer.
Similarwife, girlfriend, partner
Oppositeman
Less common meanings
- 4Used at the end of a compound to identify a woman with a great love of the thing named before it.
She's a cat woman through and through, with four rescued cats asleep on her sofa.
She's a shoe woman, with forty pairs in her closet.
Similarlover, enthusiast, fan
- 5
- 6To address someone as "woman" in a disrespectful or contemptuous manner.
UsageUsed in objections such as Don't you woman me!
- 7To staff a place or task with female labor.
The all-female crew liked to boast that they could woman the boat better than any men had ever manned it.
The cannery womaned its packing lines throughout the harvest season.
UsageA play on the verb man: woman the boat, woman the booths.
Similarstaff
- 8To make someone effeminate or womanish.
I have felt so many quirks of joy and grief / That the first face of neither on the start / Can woman me unto't.
c. 1604, William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”Similaremasculate, soften
- 9
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From Middle English womman, from earlier wifman, from Old English wīfmann, literally "female person": a compound of wīf ("woman, female," the source of English wife) and mann ("person, human being," the source of English man).
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- Woman derives from Middle English womman, through earlier wifman, from Old English wīfmann. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English wīfmann compounds wīf and mann and literally means female person. en.wiktionary.org
- Wīf meant woman or female and is the source of English wife. en.wiktionary.org
- Mann meant person or human being and is the source of English man. en.wiktionary.org