Etymology Map
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Woman

3 stages from Old English to English.

Today it means an adult female human

Where does the word "woman" come from? It comes from Old English wīfmann, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
wīfmann
Old English · 700s-1000s
"female person"
a compound of 'wīf', woman, and 'mann', person
2
Stage 2 of 3
wimman
Middle English · 1100s-1400s
"woman"
the 'f' disappeared and the vowel shifted, giving 'wimman' and later 'womman'
3
Stage 3 of 3
woman
English · 1500s
"adult female"
the plural 'women' still keeps the old 'wimmen' pronunciation
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Read the full story

Woman’s story begins in Old English: wīfmann meant “female person.” A compound of 'wīf', woman, and 'mann', person. By 1100s-1400s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as wimman. The 'f' disappeared and the vowel shifted, giving 'wimman' and later 'womman'. It reached English by 1500s as woman. The plural 'women' still keeps the old 'wimmen' pronunciation. Today, woman means an adult female human.