Draftswoman

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female professional who creates technical drawings and plans for construction and manufacturing projects
2. an individual skilled in architectural or engineering design using drafting tools
3. a woman engaged in producing detailed illustrations that convey the specifications of designs and ideas

Etymology: "Draftswoman" is a plain compound built from "draft," "-s-," and "woman." The "draft" here is the drawing sense, a plan or sketch, and the connecting "-s-" is the linking element that appears in older English compounds such as "craftsman" and "draftsman." The "-s-" is a relic of an older genitive ending, so the word is literally something like "woman of drafts," one who works with plans. The second element carries a longer history. "Woman" descends from Old English "wīfmann," formed from "wīf" (wife, woman) and "mann" (person), both ultimately rooted in ancient Germanic vocabulary. The word was a compound from the start, and English has kept its two halves recognizable even after centuries of spelling and sound change.

Synonyms: female draftsman