Old English wīfman contracts and assimilates into Middle English womman.
CANONICAL RELATIONSHIP RECORD
COVERAGE LEDGER ↗EDGE / 0805continuationestablished
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womman
woman
OPEN NODE 798 ↗DESCENDS FROM→
PARENT / EARLIER FORM / attestedOld English · Old English · female person compoundwīfman
woman; female person
OPEN NODE 799 ↗01
THE COMPLETE RELATIONSHIP
EVERY FIELD, NOT A FAIRY TALE
The compound remains a woman noun while its internal morphology becomes opaque.
No separate chronology note is attached beyond the endpoint date ranges.
Merriam-Webster Editors · American Heritage Dictionary Editors
established — no additional confidence note is attached.
reviewed
02
CITATION REGISTER
SOURCES ON THIS EDGE
Woman — Definition, Word History, and First Known UseEtymology: Middle English womman from Old English wīfman
supportsAUDIT SOURCE ↗ORIGINAL ↗Publishes the contraction path.
Woman — American Heritage DictionaryEtymology: wimman, variant of Old English wīfman
contextAUDIT SOURCE ↗ORIGINAL ↗Confirms the medieval reshaping.
03
EDITORIAL REUSE