Stuntwoman

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A woman who specializes in performing hazardous actions for film, substituting for actors to ensure safety during risky scenes is known for her physical skills
2. This role involves a female expert executing risky stunts that would endanger primary performers in motion pictures
3. A female professional who executes dangerous physical feats in movies to protect lead actors from harm

Etymology: "Stuntwoman" is a plain compound: "stunt" joined to "woman," with no hidden history behind either part. The first element, "stunt," is itself a word of uncertain origin that came to mean a daring feat or show of skill, and it is the sense of a dangerous act performed for show that the compound carries forward. "Woman" is the ordinary English word, with the feminine sense the compound needs. The pairing follows the pattern of other gendered job names in English, where a noun for the activity is joined to "man" or "woman" to name the person doing it. "Stuntman" came first in the same mould, and "stuntwoman" simply applies the same construction to a female performer. The result describes a person by what she does, with the gender marked in the second element rather than the first.

Synonyms: stunt performer, stunt actress