- published: 01 Dec 2014
- views: 3249217
A woman (/ˈwʊmən/), pl: women (/ˈwɪmɨn/) is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent. However, the term woman is also sometimes used to identify a female human, regardless of age, as in phrases such as "Women's rights". Unlike men, women are typically capable of giving birth.
The Old English wifman meant "female human" (werman meant "male human". Man or mann had a gender neutral meaning of "human", corresponding to Modern English "one" or "someone". However in around 1000AD "man" started to be used more to refer to "male human", and in the late 1200s began to inevitably displace and eradicate the original word "werman"). The medial labial consonants coalesced to create the modern form "woman"; the initial element, which meant "female," underwent semantic narrowing to the sense of a married woman ("wife").
A very common Indo-European root for woman, *gwen-, is the source of English queen (Old English cwēn primarily meant woman, highborn or not; this is still the case in Danish, with the modern spelling kvinde, as well as in Swedish kvinna), as well as gynaecology (from Greek γυνή gynē), banshee fairy woman (from Irish bean woman, sí fairy) and zenana (from Persian زن zan). The Latin fēmina, whence female, is likely from the root in fellāre (to suck), referring to breastfeeding.
On this earth not alone we stand
Outstretched arm and upturned hand
Never knowing when the shakes steady
And 'till now we have seldom seen
And I will go if you go with me
Understand I will wait for thee
I'll try to catch up if you move quickly
If the rain does blow
And oh sir
If you ever lose your way
You can call upon this family
You can call upon this day
And oh maim
If you ever lose your way
You can call up on this family
You can call upon this day
'Cause you're my present my future
My lesson my teacher
Oh, My world is still
You're my guard you're my guide
In my life I confide
To ever shelter your will
And my words are forever my blanket my shiver
Whatever you give I'll never lack
You're my chorus my refrain
The verse of my first pain
Let the voices come barrelling back
'Cause I can stand to stay right where I am
Let the water fill this hand
Bring it to your mouth
And pass beyond your lips
No gale can down this ship
And I'll stand on your shoulders
To watch us grow older
I can see us far along the road
As the trail grows deeper
your my giver my keeper
Laughter for years untold
'Cause I can stand to stay right where I am
Let the water fill this hand
Bring it to your mouth
And pass beyond your lips
No gale can down this ship
And wherever you go there you are
And if I go I won't go far
Wherever you go
There you are
And if I go I won't go far
And oh sir
If you ever lose your way
You can call upon this family