women

See also: wǒmen, wǒmén, -women, and Women

English

Alternative forms

• See woman

Etymology

From Middle English wimmen, from Old English wīfmenn (“women”), from wīf (“female”) + menn (“men, persons, human beings”), equivalent to wife +‎ men. Spelling (with o) influenced by the singular; see woman for more.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈwɪm.ɪn/, /ˈwɪm.ən/, /ˈwʊm.ən/

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  • Audio (CA)

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  • Rhymes: -ɪmɪn
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈwʊm.ɘn/, /ˈwɘm.ɘn/
  • Rhymes: -ʊmən
• Hyphenation: wom‧en
• Homophone: woman (some dialects, common in New Zealand and South Africa)

Noun

women

1. plural of woman

   Three women went for a walk.

   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:women.
   • 1942 July-August, T. F. Cameron, “How the Staff of a Railway is Recruited”, in Railway Magazine, page 207:

     Since the outbreak of war women have been recruited for many grades of railway work. The number of women clerks has been increased greatly, and women are performing invaluable work as porters, motor drivers, carriage cleaners, and telephone operators, as well as in a variety of other capacities.

Related terms

• women's lib
• womenfolk

Noun

women

1. Misspelling of woman.

Anagrams

• Mowen, menow

Middle English

Noun

women pl

1. Alternative form of wommen