Alderwomen

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female member of a local governing body, often involved in community decision-making processes
2. A woman serving as an elected official in a city council or similar assembly
3. A woman who holds a position of authority or representation in local government activities

Etymology: "Alderwomen" is the plural of "alderwoman," a female member of a local council or official body. The plural simply follows the regular pattern for compounds ending in "man," where the second element changes to "men" and the first stays fixed. So the form is the plural of "alderwoman," and the word it inflects takes its meaning from "alder," an old English term for a senior or elder local official, joined to "woman." The element "alder" traces back to Old English "ealdor," meaning a chief or person of authority, which is related to "eald," meaning old. The sense of seniority is what gave the word its civic meaning: an alderman was originally a person of rank and standing rather than simply an older man. Pairing that title with "woman" produced a female equivalent, and the plural "alderwomen" follows the same pattern as "alderman" and "aldermen."

Synonyms: councilwomen