woman /wŭmˈən/

1. An adult female of the human race
2. A wife (now dialect)
3. A mistress or girlfriend
4. The female sex, women collectively
5. (with the) the natural urges specific to a woman
6. A man over-concerned with domestic niceties (derogatory)
7. A female attendant (historical or archaic)
8. A charwoman or daily domestic help (informal)
9. The reverse or Britannia side of a coin

Denoting a woman of a specified occupation, skill or nationality, as in policewoman, markswoman, Manxwoman

Female, as in woman doctor

1. To cause to act like a woman (obsolete)
2. (with it) to play the part of a woman
3. To provide or staff with a woman or women
4. To call a person ‘woman’ abusively

woˈman'd adjective (Shakespeare)

Accompanied by a woman

womˈanfully adverb

Like a woman of spirit

womˈanhood noun

1. The state, character or qualities of a woman
2. Womenkind

womˈanish adjective

1. (of a man, his behaviour or appearance) effeminate, unmanly
2. Associated with women, feminine

womˈanishly adverb

womˈanishness noun

womˈanism noun (US)

Feminism, esp when applied to African-American women

womˈanist noun and adjective

womˈanize or womˈanise transitive verb and intransitive verb

To make or become effeminate

To pursue women with a view to having casual affairs

womˈanizer or womˈaniser noun

womˈankind noun

1. Women generally, the female sex (also womˈenkind)
2. A woman (obsolete)

womˈanless adjective

womˈanlike adjective and adverb

womˈanliness noun

womˈanly adjective

1. Like or becoming to a woman
2. Feminine

In the manner of a woman

womˈan-bodˈy noun (Scot)

A woman

womˈan-born adjective

Born of woman

womˈan-built adjective

Built by women

womˈan-child noun (pl womˈen-children)

A female child

womˈan-grown adjective

Grown to womanhood

womˈan-hater noun

A man who hates women, a misogynist

woman post noun (Shakespeare)

A female messenger

womˈan-quellˈer noun

A killer of women

womˈan-suffrage noun

Women's suffrage

womˈan-tired adjective (tire⁶; Shakespeare)

Hen-pecked

womˈan-vested adjective

Wearing women's clothes

womˈenfolk or womˈenfolks plural noun

1. The women of a household, family or other community or group
2. Women generally, womankind

Women's Institute noun

An organization for women esp of rural areas, with regular meetings for social and cultural activities, demonstrations of craftwork, etc

women's liberation noun

(also with caps) a movement of active feminists forming part of the women's movement (informal contraction women's lib)

women's liberationist noun (informal contraction women's libber)

women's movement noun

(also with caps) the movement amongst women to try to achieve equality with men, with regard to eg job opportunities, pay, legal status, etc

women's rights plural noun

Equal rights with men sought by women

women's studies singular noun

An area of academic study incorporating elements of history, literature, etc, focusing on the achievements and experiences of women

women's suffrage noun

Possession of the electoral franchise by women

womˈenswear noun

Clothes for women

kept woman

A mistress

play the woman

To give way to weakness

the little woman (facetious or patronizing)

One's wife

woman of letters

1. A scholar
2. A writer

woman of the town or streets

A prostitute

woman of the world

1. A woman of fashion or of worldly wisdom
2. A woman who knows and makes allowance for, or accepts, the ways of the world
3. A married woman (obsolete)

woman to woman

1. One woman to another as individuals in fight or talk
2. Frank and confidential

Women's Royal Voluntary Service

(from its formation in 1938 until 1966 the Women's Voluntary Service) a nationwide service assisting government departments, local authorities and other voluntary bodies in organizing and carrying out welfare and emergency work for the community

• unconfinedly
• unconfines
• unconfining
• unconfirmed
• unconform
• unconformability
• unconformable
• unconformableness
• unconformably
• unconforming
• unconformities
• unconformity
• unconfused
• unconfusedly
• uncongeal
• uncongealed
• uncongealing
• uncongeals
• uncongenial
• uncongenialities
• uncongeniality
• unconjectured
• tracheitis
• tracheitises
• trachelate