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What does -woman mean?

The combining form -woman is used like a suffix meaning “woman,” most often to indicate a woman who performs a particular job or function. It is often used in a variety of technical and everyday terms.The form -woman ultimately comes from the Old English ��ī��mann, meaning “woman” or, more literally, “female person,” from ��ī��, “woman” or “wife,” and mann, which was then a gender-neutral term for an adult person. Want to know more? Check out our 51�Թ�s That Use entry for -wife.What are variants of -woman?The plural form of -woman is -women, as in saleswomen. An ending that’s less commonly used but means the same thing is -lady, as in saleslady. The male equivalent of -woman is -man, as in salesman. However, use of this kind of gendered language for professions has decreased in recent years, with gender-neutral terms often being preferred. Namely, the ending -person is often used, as in salesperson. Some terms are changed altogether, such as mail carrier being used instead of mailman. Still, some people may prefer to use the gender-specific version of a term that applies to them—a mailman may prefer to call himself a mailman and congresswoman may prefer to call herself a congresswoman, for example.For more guidance, check out the Thesaurus.com guide to gender-neutral language.