Needlewoman

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female worker or hobbyist skilled at sewing, embroidery, or other needlework by hand
2. A woman who makes or mends garments and textiles using a needle and thread
3. Someone of the female sex who practices sewing and decorative needle crafts with considerable skill

Etymology: A needlewoman is, quite literally, a woman who works with a needle: a seamstress or a skilled sewer. The compound joins "needle" and "woman," two of the oldest words in English. "Needle" descends from Old English "nǣdl," tracing back to a Germanic root that also gave German "Nadel," while "woman" comes from Old English "wīfmann," literally "wife-man" or "female person," a term whose first element "wīf" is the same word that now survives as "wife." The compound is transparent in construction, so it needs no special story: it was formed by simply placing the two words side by side, in the same way as "fisherwoman" or "horsewoman." Its practical meaning has always stayed close to its parts, which is part of why it reads so plainly today.

Synonyms: seamstress, needleworker, sewer