irishwoman
UK[ˈaɪrɪʃˌwʊmən]US[ˈaɪrɪʃˌwʊmən]
n
a woman who was born in or is a citizen of ireland.
Morpheme Breakdown
irish
woman
irish
of ireland
woman
adult female human
Etymology
the word 'irishwoman' is a transparent compound formed in modern english by combining the demonym 'irish' with the noun 'woman'. the term 'irish' itself has a long lineage, entering english from old norse, which borrowed it from a celtic source, likely related to the old irish tribal name 'Ériu', the goddess and poetic name for ireland. 'woman' originates from the old english 'wīfmann', a compound of 'wīf' (woman, wife) and 'mann' (human being), which over time specialized to mean an adult female human. the compound 'irishwoman' thus logically and directly denotes a female human from ireland, following a common english pattern for forming nationality-based gender-specific nouns.
Analysis
Structure: irish (of ireland) + woman (adult female human)
- irish: from middle english 'irishe', from old english 'īras' (the irish people), likely from old norse 'írar', of celtic origin. functions as a demonymic adjective.
- woman: from middle english 'womman', 'wifman', from old english 'wīfmann' (wife-person). functions as a noun denoting an adult female human.
Examples
the novelist, an irishwoman living in paris, often writes about themes of exile and identity.
she was the first irishwoman to win a nobel prize in science.
the delegation included an irishwoman who spoke passionately about her country's history.