women en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ʋɪmɛːn/ (India)
- (Canada) audio
- /ˈwɪmɪn/ (Canada, US)
- /ˈwəmən/ (New-Zealand)
- audio SSB
- /ˈwɪmən/ (Canada, US)
- /ʋɪmen/ (India)
- /ˈwɪmɪn/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- /ˈwɪmɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈwʊmən/ (Canada, US)
- /ˈwɵmɪn/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- /ˈwʊmən/ (New-Zealand)
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.
Meanings
-
(alt-of, misspelling) Misspelling of woman.
alt of woman
-
(form-of, plural) plural of woman
form of woman
For quotations using this term, see Citations:women.
Three women went for a walk.
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.
1942 July-August, T. F. Cameron, “How the Staff of a Railway is Recruited”, in Railway Magazine, page 207: