Definitions for womanˈwʊm ən; ˈwɪm ɪn

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

wom•an^*ˈwʊm ən; ˈwɪm ɪn(n.; adj.)(pl.)wom•en

(n.)an adult female person, as distinguished from a girl or a man.
Category: Sexuality
a wife.
a female lover or sweetheart.
Category: Sexuality
a female servant or attendant.
women collectively; womankind.
the nature, characteristics, or feelings often attributed to women; womanliness.
(adj.)female:
a woman plumber.
Category:

^* Syn: woman, female, lady are nouns referring to adult human beings who are biologically female, that is, capable of bearing offspring. woman is the general, neutral term: a wealthy woman. In scientific, statistical, and other objective use female is the neutral contrastive term to male : 104 females to every 100 males.female is sometimes used disparagingly: a gossipy female. lady in the sense “polite, refined woman” is a term of approval: We know you will always behave like a lady.Usage: 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 parallel to man . When modifying a plural noun, woman , like man , becomes plural: women athletes; women students. The use of lady as a term of courtesy has diminished somewhat in recent years, 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.

Origin of woman:

bef. 900; ME womman, wimman, OE wīfman=wīf female +man human being; see wife , man

wom′an•less(adj.)

-woman^*

a combining form of woman :
chairwoman; forewoman; spokeswoman.
Category: Common Vocabulary, Affix, Usage Note

^* Usage: Compounds ending in -woman commonly correspond to the masculine compounds in -man : councilman, councilwoman; congressman, congresswoman. The current practice, esp. in edited written English, is to avoid the -man form in reference to a woman or the plural -men when members of both sexes are involved. Often, a sex-neutral term is used; for example, council member rather than either councilman or councilwoman; representatives or legislators rather than congressmen. See also -man, -person.

Princeton's WordNet

woman, adult female(noun)
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
"the woman kept house while the man hunted"
woman(noun)
a female person who plays a significant role (wife or mistress or girlfriend) in the life of a particular man
"he was faithful to his woman"
charwoman, char, cleaning woman, cleaning lady, woman(noun)
a human female employed to do housework
"the char will clean the carpet"; "I have a woman who comes in four hours a day while I write"
womanhood, woman, fair sex(noun)
women as a class
"it's an insult to American womanhood"; "woman is the glory of creation"; "the fair sex gathered on the veranda"

Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary

woman(noun)ˈwʊm ən
a grown female
At sixteen she's really a young woman.; Not all women like cooking, you know.

Wiktionary

woman(Noun)
An adult female human.
woman(Noun)
A wife (sometimes a fiance or girlfriend)
woman(Verb)
To man with female labor.
woman(Verb)
To furnish with, or unite to, a woman.
To have him see me woman'd. uE0009427uE001 Shakespeare.

Origin: From woman, wimman, wifman, from wifmann, equivalent to . Compare vrouwmens. Compare also vrouwspersoon, Weibsperson.

Webster Dictionary

Woman(noun)
an adult female person; a grown-up female person, as distinguished from a man or a child; sometimes, any female person
Woman(noun)
the female part of the human race; womankind
Woman(noun)
a female attendant or servant
Woman(verb)
to act the part of a woman in; -- with indefinite it
Woman(verb)
to make effeminate or womanish
Woman(verb)
to furnish with, or unite to, a woman

The Roycroft Dictionary

woman
1. The First Cause. 2. A being created for the purpose of voting. 3. Any one with an allowance that is occasionally paid, but which can't be collected. 4. A pet, a plaything, a scullion, a thing to die for, or a thing to kill. 5. A being to get rid of or to secure--to run away from, or with, as the case may be. 6. Among the Ancients, a slave, a chattel; among the Moderns, a financial swashbuckler. Synonyms: sphinx, devil, angel, liar, spendthrift.