anchorwoman
Meaning
A woman who presents news and coordinates reports on a television or radio news program.
Structure
Usage
The veteran anchorwoman delivered the election results with calm authority.
She became the first anchorwoman to host the prime-time evening news on that network.
The interview was conducted by a well-respected anchorwoman known for her tough questions.
Etymology
The term is a modern compound, formed in the mid-20th century by combining "anchor" and "woman." The key component, "anchor," derives from the Greek ankyra, meaning "hook" or "device for securing a ship." In broadcasting jargon from the 1950s, "anchor" was adopted metaphorically to denote the central presenter who "holds fast" the various segments of a news program, providing stability and coherence. The addition of "woman" simply specifies the gender of the person fulfilling this role, following the pattern of other -woman compounds (e.g., chairwoman, policewoman), and emerged as women began to occupy these prominent on-air positions.
Analysis
- anchor: From Old English ancor, via Latin anchora from Greek ankyra. In this compound, it functions metaphorically as the central, stabilizing figure of a news broadcast. - woman: From Old English wīfmann ("woman, female servant"), a compound of wīf ("woman, wife") + mann ("person, human being"). In this compound, it specifies the gender of the person in the role.