women

[wim-in] /ˈwɪm ɪn/
noun
1.
plural of woman.

woman

[woo m-uh n] /ˈwʊm ən/
noun, plural women
[wim-in] /ˈwɪm ɪn/ (Show IPA)
1.
the female human being (distinguished from man).
2.
an adult female person.
3.
a female attendant to a lady of rank.
4.
a wife.
5.
the nature, characteristics, or feelings often attributed to women; womanliness.
6.
a sweetheart or paramour; mistress.
7.
a female employee or representative:
A woman from the real estate agency called.
8.
a female person who cleans house, cooks, etc.; housekeeper:
The woman will be in to clean today.
9.
women collectively:
Woman is no longer subordinate to man.
verb (used with object)
10.
to put into the company of a woman.
11.
to equip or staff with women.
12.
Obsolete. to cause to act or yield like a woman.
adjective
13.
of women; womanly.
14.
female:
a woman plumber.
Idioms
15.
be one's own woman, (of females) to be free from restrictions, control, or dictatorial influence; be independent.
Origin
before 900; Middle English womman, wimman, Old English wīfman, equivalent to wīf female + man human being; see wife, man1
Related forms
womanless, adjective
antiwoman, adjective
Can be confused
lady, woman (see synonym study at the current entry; see usage note at the current entry)
Synonym Study
Woman, female, lady are nouns referring to adult human beings who are biologically female; that is, capable of bearing offspring. Woman is the general term. It is neutral, lacking either favorable or unfavorable implication, and is the most commonly used of the three: a wealthy woman; a woman of strong character, of unbridled appetites. In scientific, statistical, and other objective use, female is the neutral contrastive term to male and may apply to plants and animals also: 104 females to every 100 males; Among lions, the female is the chief hunter. Female is sometimes used in disparaging contexts: a gossipy female; a conniving female. Lady meaning “refined, polite woman” is a term of approval or praise: a real lady in all things; to behave like a lady.
Usage note
2. Although formerly woman was sometimes regarded as demeaning and lady was the term of courtesy, woman is the designation preferred by most modern female adults: League of Women Voters; American Association of University Women. Woman is the standard feminine parallel to man. As a modifier of a plural noun, woman, like man, is exceptional in that the plural form women is used: women athletes; women students. The use of lady as a term of courtesy has diminished somewhat in recent years (the lady of the house), although it still survives in a few set phrases (ladies' room; Ladies' Day). Lady is also used, but decreasingly, as a term of reference for women engaged in occupations considered by some to be menial or routine: cleaning lady; saleslady. See also girl, lady, -woman.

women's

[wim-inz] /ˈwɪm ɪnz/
noun, plural women's.
1.
a range of sizes usually from 38 to 44 for garments that fit larger than average women.
2.
a garment in this size range.
3.
the department or section of a store where these garments are sold.
Examples from the web for women
  • The women reproduce via cloning and consider men to be comical.
  • He does not appear to know how to impress women upon meeting them, and is often rejected.
  • Negligee a robe or a dressing gown, usually of sheer or soft fabric for women.
  • women normally wear a skirt and a tshirt or a tank top, or a sports dress.
  • The unman was telling the lady of other women, and the important roles they play.
  • Thousands of women have still claimed that they have become ill from their implants.
  • We are scared, incompetent, and powerless, particularly around women.
  • Some studies suggest that some women experience stress after a miscarriage or abortion.
  • Those who do tend to be women with a prior history of depression.
  • The modification of any place names that included the word women.
British Dictionary definitions for women

women

/ˈwɪmɪn/
noun
1.
the plural of woman

woman

/ˈwʊmən/
noun (pl) women (ˈwɪmɪn)
1.
an adult female human being
2.
(modifier) female or feminine: a woman politician, woman talk
3.
women collectively; womankind
4.
the woman, feminine nature or feelings: babies bring out the woman in her
5.
a female servant or domestic help
6.
a man considered as having supposed female characteristics, such as meekness or timidity
7.
(informal) a wife, mistress, or girlfriend
8.
(informal) the little woman, one's wife
9.
woman of the streets, a prostitute
verb (transitive)
10.
(rare) to provide with women
11.
(obsolete) to make effeminate
related
prefixes gyno- gynaeco-
Derived Forms
womanless, adjective
woman-like, adjective
Word Origin
Old English wīfmann, wimman; from wife + man (human being)
Word Origin and History for women

plural of woman (q.v.).

woman

n.

late Old English wimman (plural wimmen), literally "woman-man," alteration of wifman (plural wifmen), a compound of wif "woman" (see wife) + man "human being" (in Old English used in reference to both sexes; see man (n.)). Cf. Dutch vrouwmens "wife," literally "woman-man."

The formation is peculiar to English and Dutch. Replaced older Old English wif and quean as the word for "female human being." The pronunciation of the singular altered in Middle English by the rounding influence of -w-; the plural retains the original vowel. Meaning "wife," now largely restricted to U.S. dialectal use, is attested from mid-15c. Women's liberation is attested from 1966; women's rights is from 1840, with an isolated example in 1630s.

Slang definitions & phrases for women

woman

Related Terms

bag lady, bottom woman, the little woman, old woman


women in the Bible

was "taken out of man" (Gen. 2:23), and therefore the man has the preeminence. "The head of the woman is the man;" but yet honour is to be shown to the wife, "as unto the weaker vessel" (1 Cor. 11:3, 8, 9; 1 Pet. 3:7). Several women are mentioned in Scripture as having been endowed with prophetic gifts, as Miriam (Ex. 15:20), Deborah (Judg. 4:4, 5), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), Anna (Luke 2:36, 37), and the daughters of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8, 9). Women are forbidden to teach publicly (1 Cor. 14:34, 35; 1 Tim. 2:11, 12). Among the Hebrews it devolved upon women to prepare the meals for the household (Gen. 18:6; 2 Sam. 13:8), to attend to the work of spinning (Ex. 35:26; Prov. 31:19), and making clothes (1 Sam. 2:19; Prov. 31:21), to bring water from the well (Gen. 24:15; 1 Sam. 9:11), and to care for the flocks (Gen. 29:6; Ex. 2:16). The word "woman," as used in Matt. 15:28, John 2:4 and 20:13, 15, implies tenderness and courtesy and not disrespect. Only where revelation is known has woman her due place of honour assigned to her.

Idioms and Phrases with women

woman

see: