signalwoman en · NOUN
Etymology
Etymology tree English signal Proto-Germanic *wībą Proto-West Germanic *wīb Old English wīf Proto-Indo-European *mon- Proto-Germanic *mann- Proto-West Germanic *mann Old English mann Old English wīfmann Middle English woman Middle English -woman English -woman English signalwoman From signal + -woman.
Meanings
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A woman employed to operate the signals and points of a railway.
The two signalwomen at Highworth and the two signalmen at Kingsdown Road have now little to do, but it is planned to retain only Kingsdown as an exchange point, and revert to "one engine" working between there and Highworth.
1959 October 14, Trevor J. Saunders, “The Swindon and Highworth Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 710:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| signalwomen | Number=Plur | lexicographic |