Councilwoman

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female member of an elected body that makes decisions regarding local governance
2. An elected woman who engages in policy-making and administrative discussions within a governing council
3. A woman elected to serve on a local government council responsible for community decisions

Etymology: "Councilwoman" is a plain compound: "council" joined to "woman," with no hidden history to uncover. The first part, "council," came into English from Old French "concile," itself from Latin "concilium," meaning an assembly or gathering, built from "com-" (together) and a root meaning to call. The second part is more intriguing than it looks. "Woman" was formed in Old English as "wīfmann," literally "female person" (from "wīf," "woman," combined with "mann," "person"), and the two elements were fused into a single word over the Middle English period. The "-woman" ending is what makes the word work. Its pattern follows older compounds such as "chairman" and "spokesman," where "-man" once served as a general term for a person of either sex before it narrowed to male. "Councilwoman" pairs the gender-specific "-woman" with a title that was itself gender-neutral, giving a clear designation for a female member of a council.

Synonyms: council member, legislator, representative