(a) An adult female human being, a woman; also in fig. context;—also coll.; also, the first woman, Eve; first ~; (b) a young woman [quot. ?c1475]; ~ maiden, ~ yong, ~ of yong age, yong ~, etc.; (c) in the vocative, in constructions of direct address or apostrophe; also, the word ‘womman’ as a term of address [quot. a1500(1413)].

In combs., phrases, and collocations: (a) ~ commune, (ribaude, sinneresse, strumpet), commune (bordel, strumpet) ~, a prostitute; a loose woman; almesse ~, a female almoner; barwe ~, a female hod carrier; bede ~ [see also bede-woman n.]; cappe ~, a woman who makes or sells caps; chap-woman, q.v.; contre ~, a female compatriot; english-woman, q.v.; fled ~, a female refugee; fre ~, q.v.; garth ~, a woman who works in a garden, female gardener; gentil ~, q.v.; gle ~, a female entertainer, ?an actress; kinnes ~, q.v.; maide ~, a virgin; mid ~, mister ~, q.v.; port ~, a female citizen of a town; religious ~, a nun; also, a devout woman; silke ~ [see also silk(e n. 3.(a)]; spouse-breche ~, an adulterous woman; threde ~, a female dealer in thread or yarn; (b) ~ of fairie, a nymph; ~ of lif-lod, a woman of property; ~ of religioun, a member of a women’s religious order, a nun; ~ of the sekil, a laywoman; ~ unable to the world, a woman with no means of supporting herself; (c) of no ~, born of no woman; of (a) ~ boren, mortal; ben boren of (a) ~, ben iboren of ~, to be born of (a) woman; boren (iboren) of ~, made of a ~, born of a woman; of Christ: born in human flesh.

With emphasis on adulthood: (a) womanhood, the state of being a grown woman; bringen to ~; (b) in collocations: man ~ and child, man, woman, and child, everyone; men) wommen and children, ne ~ ne child, etc.; grouen to be a ~, to grow up to be a woman, grow to womanhood.

With emphasis on femaleness: (a) womankind, the female sex, woman in general; coll. & pl. women in general, women as a class; the ~; (b) in collocations: ~ and man, man (wepman) and ~, carl-men and wommen, man or ~, man ne wommen, etc.; (c) as an attributive: belonging to, associated with, or characteristic of the human female sex, female, feminine, womanly; also, effeminate, womanish;—freq. in gen.; ~ cappe (here, etc.), wommen enourning (gounes, siknesses, tale, etc.); ~ chaundeler (god-sibbe, persoune), wommen hostileres (kemberes, singeres, wicches, etc.); wommanes dede (felaushipe, mone, werk), sexual intercourse of a woman with a man; ~ hoste, a female host, host of women; wommanes ivel, menstruation; ~ kin, q.v.; wommanes kin, a member of the female sex, a woman; ~ kinde, q.v.; wommanes kinde, women; wommenes kinde, the nature of women, the female nature; wommen kitthe, womankind; wommen lond, a land of women, land occupied only by women; ~ lore, instruction for women, female education; wommen metes with child, food suitable for pregnant women, a pregnancy diet; ~ sone, with ref. to Christ: the son of a woman; usen wommen(es manere, to be effeminate.

With emphasis on marital or maternal status: wommen maidenes and wifes, wifes and wommen, wepman ne ~ ne maiden, etc.; ~ spouse, spouse ~, a bride.

With emphasis on humanness: womman(es milk, human milk (as opposed to the milk of an animal); wommen pappes, human female breasts (as opposed to those of an animal).

(a) A wife, married woman; ~ hous-wif, hous-wif ~; ~ avoutresse, an adulterous wife; (b) a woman who loves a man without his knowledge, (someone’s) would-be sweetheart.

(a) A female domestic servant; ~ lavendere (servaunt, usher), bour (servaunt) ~; child ~, a handmaid, servant girl; (b) a woman who tends a child or children, a children’s nurse; also, a woman who suckles another’s infant, wet nurse; a foster mother; foster ~; (c) a woman who assists women in childbirth, midwife; (d) a woman who tends the sick, a nurse; (e) a handmaid of Christ, a woman devoted to Christian worship and the service of Christ; lord(es honde ~, a handmaid of God; (f) in cpds. & combs. denoting a woman of low social status: ~ thral, a slave woman or woman serf; bonde ~, q.v.; bonde) servinge ~, a slave woman; theu ~, a woman servant or serf.

In proverbs.

(a) Bibl. One of the allegorical women described in the Book of Revelation [cp. Apoc.12.1, 17.3, 17.7-8, etc.]; (b) the goddess Fortune in the form of a woman.

(a) A nut of the female pistachio tree Pistacia vera; (b) in plant names: ~ moder-wort, wommanes mede-wort, prob. the common winter cress Barbarea vulgaris.

The words ‘womman’ and ‘wommen’.

In surnames.