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Glite Dictionary
selectwoman

selectwoman

1 9.1
A woman elected to the board that runs a New England town
  • noun
  • /sɪˈlɛktˌwʊmən/
  • US
: miembra del consejo
  • Dunn, a town selectwoman, will serve as general manager of the store.
  • the first selectwoman
  • the selectwoman in town

Examples

  • "One story I heard," says Ann Fisk, a former selectwoman in town, "is that a certain shopkeeper was seeing his last customer out that Halloween, caught the girl's eye, and said,

    Fiction book (2001)

  • According to Brookline Selectwoman Jesse Mermell, the vote was pushed through with overwhelming approval.

    Blog text (25)

  • Ladies and gentlemen, a big hand for our most prominent selectman... ...or selectwoman or selectperson, Felicia Alden.

    The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

  • Bransfield has served as Portland's first selectwoman since 2003.

  • HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Portland First selectwoman Susan Bransfield will lead Connecticut's largest nonpartisan organization representing the interests of cities and towns.

Synonyms

councilwoman
vsselectwoman
  • US
25 3.7

A woman who is a member of a local council

refers specifically to a member of a New England town governing board
selectman
vsselectwoman
  • US
9 9.5

An elected town official who helps run the local government in New England

is the female version of the same elected town office
alderwoman
vsselectwoman
  • US
1 7.2

A woman who is a member of a city council

is used for a member of a New England town governing board instead

Surface Forms

selectwoman singular
selectwomen plural

Morphology

selectwoman = select + woman (transparent) = select + woman

A straightforward compound of 'select' (chosen) + 'woman', meaning a woman who is a chosen/elected member of the selectboard.

Etymology

Selectwoman combines select ('chosen') and woman, so it literally means a woman chosen to serve on a town's governing board. That's why a selectwoman is an elected member of the town's selectboard.