| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024wom•an /ˈwʊmən/USA pronunciation n., pl. wom•en /ˈwɪmɪn/USA pronunciation . - Sex and Gender[countable] an adult female person.
- [countable] a female servant or attendant.
- [uncountable] women thought of as a group;
womankind. - [uncountable]feminine nature, characteristics, or feelings.
adj. [before a noun] - female:a woman plumber; a woman astronaut.
-woman, suffix. - Pronouns-woman is used to form nouns with the meaning "involving a woman;
a woman in the role of:''chairwoman; spokeswoman.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024wom•an (wŏŏm′ən),USA pronunciation n., pl. wom•en (wim′in),USA pronunciation v., adj. n. - Sex and Genderthe female human being (distinguished from man).
- Sex and Genderan adult female person.
- a female attendant to a lady of rank.
- a wife.
- the nature, characteristics, or feelings often attributed to women;
womanliness. - Sex and Gendera sweetheart or paramour;
mistress. - a female employee or representative:A woman from the real estate agency called.
- Sex and Gendera female person who cleans house, cooks, etc.;
housekeeper:The woman will be in to clean today. - women collectively:Woman is no longer subordinate to man.
- be one's own woman, (of females) to be free from restrictions, control, or dictatorial influence;
be independent.
v.t. - to put into the company of a woman.
- to equip or staff with women.
- [Obs.]to cause to act or yield like a woman.
adj. - of women;
womanly. - female:a woman plumber.
- bef. 900; Middle English womman, wimman, Old English wīfman, equivalent. to wīf female + man human being; see wife, man1
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. 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. -woman, - Pronounsa combining form of woman: chairwoman;
forewoman;
spokeswoman.
Feminine compounds ending in -woman are equivalent to the masculine compounds in -man. When the person referred to is a woman, the feminine form is often, but not always, used:alderman, alderwoman; assemblyman, assemblywoman; chairman, chairwoman; congressman, congresswoman; spokesman, spokeswoman; businessman, businesswoman.However, some forms ending in -man are applied to women, and occasionally terms in -man are specified by legal code:Alderman Dorothy Lavelle.In general, the practice in current 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. Instead, a sex-neutral term is used:council membersrather than councilmen and councilwomen; representative or legislator rather than congressman or congresswoman. See also chairperson, -man, -person. |