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A woman is a female human, in contrast to an adult male, who is a man.
The term woman (irregular plural: women) is usually used for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent. However, the term is also sometimes used for a female human regardless of age, as in phrases like "women's rights".
Etymology
The English term "man" (from Proto-Germanic mannaz "man, person") and words derived therefrom can designate any or even all of the human race regardless of their gender or age. This is indeed the oldest usage of "man". In Old English the words wer and wyf (also wæpman and wifman) were what was used to refer to "a man" and "a woman" respectively, and "man" was gender neutral. In Middle English man displaced wer as term for "male human", whilst wyfman (which eventually evolved into woman) was retained for "female human". "Man" does continue to carry its original sense of "Human" however, resulting in an asymmetry sometimes criticized as sexist. * (See also Womyn.) The symbol for the planet Venus is the sign also known in biology for the female sex: a stylized representation of the goddess Venus's hand mirror: a circle with a small cross underneath (Unicode: ♀). The Venus symbol also represented femininity, and in ancient alchemy stood for copper. Alchemists constructed the symbol from a circle (representing spirit) above a cross (representing matter).
Terminology
The English language's original word for "woman" was Old English wīf, akin to German Weib; it later became the modern word "wife." The modern word "woman" etymologically derives from wīfmann, with the addition of mann, "person", from Germanic mannaz. This formation is peculiar to English. The equivalents for "man" in Old English were wer (a cognate of Latin vir, "man") and wǣpnedmann, literally "weaponed person". As previously mentioned, the term man continues to carry its original sense of "Human", though this usage results in an asymmetry which is sometimes criticized as sexist. The word girl originally meant "young person of either sex"; it was only around the beginning of the 16th century that it came to mean specifically a female child. Nowadays girl is also often used colloquially to refer to a young or unmarried woman. Since the early 1970s, feminists have challenged such usage, and today, using the word in the workplace (as in office girl) is typically considered inappropriate in the United States and United Kingdom because it implies a view of women as infantile. The use remains commonplace in several other English-speaking countries. Conversely, in certain non-Western cultures which link family honor with female virginity, the word girl is still used to refer to a never-married woman; in this sense it is used in a fashion roughly analogous to the obsolete English maid or maiden. Referring to an unmarried female as woman can, in such a culture, imply that she is sexually experienced, which would be an insult to her family. In more informal settings, the use of girl to refer to an adult female is also common practice in certain usage (such as girls' night out), even among elderly women. In this sense, girl may be considered to be the analogue to the British word bloke for a man. Some regard non-parallel usages, such as men and girls, as sexist. A number of other derogatory terms for women are also in common usage. There are various words used to refer to the quality of being a woman. The term "womanhood" merely means the state of being a woman; "femininity" is used to refer to a set of supposedly typical female qualities associated with a certain attitude to gender roles; "womanliness" is like "femininity", but is usually associated with a different view of gender roles; "femaleness" is a general term, but is often used as shorthand for "human femaleness"; "distaff" is an archaic adjective derived from women's conventional role as a spinner, now used only as a deliberate archaism; "muliebrity" is a "neologism" (derived from the Latin) meant to provide a female counterpart of "virility", but used very loosely, sometimes to mean merely "womanhood", sometimes "femininity", and sometimes even as a collective term for women. More on [ Woman ]
72% of Women Facebook have learned about products through social media outlets http://ow.ly/TjtP
MikeCrosen (Mike Crosen) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:01:27 -0000
72% of Women Facebook have learned about products through social media outlets http://ow.ly/TjtP
RT @KnitsforNeeds: We just sent a big box of yarn to a half-way house where a group of women have taken up knitting as a form of therapy :)
KnittingPurls (KnittingPurls) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:01:26 -0000
RT @KnitsforNeeds: We just sent a big box of yarn to a half-way house where a group of women have taken up knitting as a form of therapy :)
@Ootz85 only becos u are tall too... RT @Ootz85: I love tall women
CSoulamazing (Ariel Lenong) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:01:26 -0000
@Ootz85 only becos u are tall too... RT @Ootz85: I love tall women
@extremelyspicy Kaz and Jazz women names under the mistletoe ay wat happened :)
xSimranxD (Simran Digwa) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:01:23 -0000
@extremelyspicy Kaz and Jazz women names under the mistletoe ay wat happened :)
Canadian fashion ready for prime time: "I feel a little like a personal shopper instructing women on how to wear a... http://bit.ly/4qyD3m
Shenexpromdress (Shenex Prom Dress) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:01:19 -0000
Canadian fashion ready for prime time: "I feel a little like a personal shopper instructing women on how to wear a... http://bit.ly/4qyD3m
These fat women around me....I dunno if they motivate or corrupt my diet???!!!! :S
abikaylicious (abi kilanko) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:01:18 -0000
These fat women around me....I dunno if they motivate or corrupt my diet???!!!! :S
Bais Chana Women International - Provides information about events for Jewish women, teenagers, and couples retreats. Contact information is provided.
Meta Description: [ Bais Chana International, Extraordinary Jewish Learning ]
Bat Kol - Feminist House of Study, located in Jerusalem, Israel, offers classes on the study of the holy texts of Judaism from the perspective of women.
Meta Description: [ Homepage of Bat Kol: Study from the Inside Out, describing this Jewish feminist house of study located in Jerusalem, Israel, which will begin offer classes over the summer of 1997 on the study of the holy texts of Judaism from the perspective of women. ]
British Emunah - A charity which provide residential homes for children from disadvantaged, abused and dysfunctional backgrounds in Israel.
British WIZO - The largest modern Jewish women's movement in Britain and Ireland.
Hadassah - Women's service and educational organization. Primary charitable focus is health care, both in Israel and in America.
Hadassah Greater Pittsburgh - The official website for the Hadassah Greater Pittsburgh Chapter
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Hadassah Needham, Massachusetts Chapter - Site offers information on events, membership, and current activities.
Meta Description: [ 1&1 offers Web hosting, domain names, website builders, servers, and email solutions. Find affordable, dedicated ad-free web hosting, domain name registration and e-mail solutions. Choose 1&1 Internet to host your small business website or personal web site. ]
Hadassah of Wellington, Florida - Women's Zionist organization serving the Treasure Coast.
Hadassah-WIZO Organization of Canada - An association of Canadian women dedicated to the support of health, social welfare and educational programs in Israel, and to the enrichment of Jewish life in Canada.
Hadassah: Tidewater Chapter - A young women's chapter of Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Volunteer Organization of America.
Jewish Women in the Upper Midwest - Exploring Jewish women's roles in transporting their culture from the Old World to the Upper Midwest.
Meta Description: [ Exploring Jewish women's roles in transporting their culture from the Old World to the Upper Midwest; learning to adjust to new geography and new neighbors, establishing Jewish homes; finding ways to augment the family income, maintaining the synagogue and founding social welfare institutions. ]
Jewish Women International - History, mission statement, and resources.
Jewish Women's Archive - The Jewish Women's Archive wants to uncover, chronicle, and transmit the rich legacy of Jewish women by making information and primary source material available to all. The site has exhibits which spotlight different women on a rotating basis.
Meta Description: [ Jewish Women's Archive uncovers, chronicles, and transmits the rich legacy of Jewish women and their contributions to our families and communities, to our people and our world. ]
National Council of Jewish Women - A faith-based volunteer organization that works to improve the quality of life for women, children, and families and to ensure individual rights and freedoms through research, and education.
National Council of Jewish Women of Canada - Volunteer service organization that highlights its history, programs and services, events, officers and contact details. An affiliate member of the International Council of Jewish Women (ICJW).
Meta Description: [ Established in 1897, National Council of Jewish Women of Canada, is a volunteer service organization, dedicated to identifying community needs and providing the leadership, energy, advocacy and financial resources to bring about meaningful changes in our communities. ]
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi - A Jewish Interest Sorority founded at UC Davis, to promote unity, support, and a Jewish awareness, and is devoted to friendship, motivation, opportunity, leadership, and well being.
The Organization for the Resolution of Agunot - An organization that is dedicated to helping Jewish women receive a get, Jewish divorce, in accordance with strict Jewish law.
Meta Description: [ ORA is a non profit organization that helps agunot. ]
The Washington Jewish Women's Project - Information on the aims of the group, calendar of events, projects and newsletter.
Women of Reform Judaism - Serves humanitarian causes, publishes educational material and guides Sisterhood administration.
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