businesswoman
UK[ˈbɪznɪsˌwʊmən]US[ˈbɪznɪsˌwʊmən]
n
a woman who works in business, especially in a management position or who owns a company.
Morpheme Breakdown
business
woman
business
a state of being busy; an occupation.
woman
Etymology
the compound "businesswoman" is a modern english formation that directly combines two established english words. "business" originates from the old english concept of being busy or engaged in an activity, which by the middle ages evolved to mean a specific occupation or trade. "woman" has deep germanic roots, originally meaning "wife-person" to distinguish adult female humans. the fusion of these terms in the 19th or early 20th century logically creates a noun denoting a female person engaged in commercial or professional enterprise, reflecting the era's need for gender-specific occupational titles.
Analysis
Structure: business + woman
business: from old english bisig (busy, occupied) + -ness (noun-forming suffix), meaning "a state of being busy; an occupation."
woman: from old english wīfmann (wife-person), composed of wīf (woman, wife) + mann (human being, person).
Examples
she built her reputation as a shrewd and successful businesswoman.
the conference featured several prominent businesswomen as keynote speakers.
she balanced her roles as a mother and a high-powered businesswoman.