councilwoman

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English council

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 councilwoman

From council + -woman.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

councilwoman (plural councilwomen)

1. A feminine member of a council, especially a city council or town council.

   Hypernyms: officer, officeholder < person

   Near-synonyms: councilmember, councilperson, councilor, councillor, councilman, selectperson, selectman, selectwoman

   • 2008 April 17, Jonathan Miller, Richard G. Jones, “Ex-Newark Mayor Convicted of Fraud”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 28 November 2022:

     When it was the defense’s turn to try to rebut the prosecution’s case, lawyers for Mr. James called just two witnesses [—] two former councilwomen who tried to bolster the assertion of Mr. James that he could not approve property sales unilaterally.

   • 2024 July 17, Hurubie Meko, Nate Schweber, “City Councilwoman Is Charged With Biting Police Chief During Protest”, in The New York Times‎^[2], archived from the original on 18 July 2024:

     A New York City councilwoman was charged with assault after a heated protest at the Brooklyn site of a proposed men’s homeless shelter at which, the authorities say, she bit a police chief.

Usage notes

• Now often replaced by gender-neutral councilor/councillor.