woman

noun

1. An adult female human.

   “the first woman president of Spain”

   “But this woman is a nice German woman that fell on the ice and sprained her ankle last winter, and we saw to her well as we could till she got better.”

   “Dr. J. H. Vincent, the great lecturer, says that a man's greatness consists in his courage; his inherent nobleness; his noble deeds, great exploits, and benefits to the world; but that behind every great man is a great woman - his mother.”

   “Cause I'm every woman / It's all in me”

   “During World War II, many women worked as blacksmiths in the shipbuilding industry and found they liked the challenging, independent work.”

2. (collective)All female humans collectively; womankind.

   “Listen, Holly. Thou art a good and honest man, and I fain would spare thee; but, oh! it is so hard for woman to be merciful.”

   ““[…] it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.””

   “I am Woman, hear me roar / In numbers too big to ignore”

   “For if modern woman is so intent on keeping her surname alive, why not demand it be passed along to her children?”

   “Unsurprisingly, if modern man is a sort of camera, modern woman is a picture.”

3. A female person, usually an adult: a (generally adult) female sentient being, whether human, supernatural, elf, alien, etc.

   “Sir, have you ever served with any Bajoran women?”

   “To be born a woman has been to be born, within an allotted and confined space, into the keeping of men.”

   “One of the elves, a woman with long auburn hair, was garbed identically to the two dwarves.”

   “Clearing a space between the tables, the men tested their prowess against one another with feats of wrestling and archery and bouts with quarterstaves. Two of the elves, a man and a woman, demonstrated their skill with swordplay—[…]”

   “At the very dawn of religion, God was a woman.”

4. A wife (or sometimes a fiancée or girlfriend).

   “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, So that he shall have no need of spoil.”

   “And then, when he lies with his woman, the man may concurrently be with God, and so get increase of his soul.”

5. A female person who is extremely fond of or devoted to a specified type of thing. (Used as the last element of a compound.)

   “Perhaps my problem is that I am a cat woman. I can't imagine any finicky feline (and they all are that at one time or another) slobbering over anyone, even a beloved owner, the way a dog does.”

6. A female attendant or servant.

   “By her woman I sent your message.”

verb

1. To staff with female labor.

   “[…]he should prove, from the testimony of the most experienced seamen, that the vessel was, if not, strictly speaking, sufficiently manned, yet that she was sufficiently manned and womanned. The Gypsey was a vessel of 43 tons burden, and there were on board two able seamen and the Captain’s wife, who was a very good sailor;”

   “Apparently the Sixty-ninth Street office of Bagby Answers, Inc., was being womaned for the day from other offices.”

   “Gus Dinsmore, the public beach parking lot attendent,^([sic]) said he guessed that so many cars must be just stopped dead along the road that even those manned (or womaned) by able drivers would be unable to move.”

   “The information desk is now manned (womaned) by someone whose main job is to help you reserve time slots for the computers or guide you through the arduous process of “logging on.””

2. (transitive)To make effeminate or womanish.

   “I have felt so many quirks of joy and grief / That the first face of neither on the start / Can woman me unto't.”

3. (transitive)To furnish with, or unite to, a woman.

   “And think it no addition, nor my wish, / To have him see me woman'd.”

4. (transitive)To call (a person) "woman" in a disrespectful fashion.