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Define woman

One of the most virulent culture war issues in recent years has been a collection of controversies concerning transsexual individuals. One of those controversies has been over the question of how gendered terms love “man” and “woman” should be defined. During Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings, for example, Senator Marsha Blackburn demanded that Jackson characterize the word “woman.”

Concern with this scrutinize of definition is not exclusive to the right: trans-rights activists insist that trans men are men, that transgender women are women, and that anyone who denies this is a bigot. Whether or not it’s true that trans women are women depends on the definition of the word “woman.” So let’s spot what clarity we can lend to the question of what the synonyms “woman” means.

As a starting point, it’s important to retain that words often have multiple definitions. Sometimes a pos can have several meanings that are closely related. (Linguists and philosophers of language refer to this phenomenon as “polysemy.”) For instance, the word “hands” can refer to eithe

womannoun

There are 17 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun woman, two of which are labelled obsolete, and two of which are considered disgusting and derogatory. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

About occurrences per million words in modern written English

Earliest known use

Old English

The earliest known use of the noun woman is in the Old English period (pre).

woman is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons:wifen., mann.1

Nearby entries

  1. wölsendorfite, n–
  2. Wolstonian, adj–
  3. wolve, v–
  4. wolveling, n
  5. wolver, n–
  6. wolverine, n–
  7. Wolves, n–
  8. wolvish, adj.c–
  9. wolvishly, adv
  10. wolvy, adj
  11. woman, English–
  12. woman, v–
  13. woman actor, n–
  14. woman boat, n–
  15. woman body, n–
  16. woman bond, n
  17. woman-born, adj. & n–
  18. woman-bred, adj–

    What Is a Woman?

    As trans women appreciate me struggle to be seen and respected as women, the most frustrating conversation to witness has been the one that probes at a gender non-conforming woman's realness. It is a question that is so seemingly simple, yet insidious at its core as violence towards transitioned women continues: “What is a woman?”

    This question brings divisiveness into the fold as people connect semantics with biology. Linguistics and definitions become a hurdle for someone like me to overcome. There is a silent threat in those four simple words that aims to dismantle the logic that transgender women are in reality women.

    As it is, common definitions of “woman” are often associated with an "adult female human,” in other words, “of or denoting the sex that can bear offspring or produce eggs.” Now, let’s face the data here, I can’t execute either of those things. I lack the ability to bear offspring, to produce eggs, or to menstruate, and some people will use that very definition of "woman" as a weapon to ambush the notion that I am deserving of womanhood. And to compliment that,

    The following references were used to provide the overview on women and the criminal justice system section. For additional information click on Studies.

    Amnesty International. “Canada: Stolen Sisters: A human rights response to discrimination and violence against Indigenous women in Canada.” On hand at:

    Arbour, The Honorable Justice Louise (Commissioner). “Commission of Inquiry into Certain Events at the Prison for Women.” Ottawa, ON: Solicitor General. Available at (English only):

    Auditor General of Canada. “Preparing Women Offenders for Unleash – Correctional Services Canada.” Collapse Reports of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of Canada, Report 5. Present at:

    Baigent, C. “Why Gladue Needs an Intersectional Lens: The silencing of sex in Indigenous women’s sentencing decisions.” Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, Volume 32, Issue 1. (pp. ).

    Balfour, G. “Women in Custody.” In Adult Corrections in Canada 2nd edition. M. Weinrath and J. A. Winterdyk (Eds.). (pp. ). de Sitter Publications.

    Balfour, G. and E. Comack. “Criminalizing Women.”Halifax: Fe