churchwoman
UK[ˈtʃɜːtʃˌwʊmən]US[ˈtʃɜrtʃˌwʊmən]
n
a woman who is a member of a church, especially one who is active in its affairs.
Morpheme Breakdown
church
woman
church
a building for christian worship
woman
adult female human
Etymology
the word 'churchwoman' is a transparent modern english compound, formed by directly combining two native english elements. the first element, 'church', has a complex journey from the greek 'kyriakon', meaning 'belonging to the lord', which passed into germanic languages via gothic and ultimately became the old english 'cirice'. the second element, 'woman', derives from the old english 'wīfmann', literally 'wife-person' or 'female human'. the compound itself follows a straightforward pattern in english for denoting a member of a group based on gender and affiliation, creating a term that specifically identifies a female member of a christian congregation, often with connotations of active participation.
Analysis
Structure: church (a building for christian worship) + woman (adult female human)
'church' originates from old english 'cirice, circe', from late greek 'kyriakon (dōma)' meaning 'the lord's (house)'. 'woman' originates from old english 'wīfmann', a compound of 'wīf' (woman, wife) and 'mann' (human being, person).
Examples
she was a devoted churchwoman who volunteered in the parish office every week.
the meeting was attended by several prominent churchwomen from different denominations.
as a lifelong churchwoman, her faith was the cornerstone of her community involvement.