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hired woman

hired woman

4.1
A woman who works on a farm or ranch for pay
  • noun
translation icon : mujer contratada
  • The hired woman worked tirelessly in the fields.

Examples

  • Many hired women helped during the harvest season.

  • The hired woman helped us plant the crops on the ranch this spring.

  • As a hired woman, she was responsible for milking the cows and collecting eggs every morning.

  • The hired woman rose before dawn to tend the animals on the ranch.

  • The family employed a hired woman during harvest season to help with the crops.

  • At the local farm, a hired woman took care of the livestock every day.

  • The community relied on the hired woman to assist with the harvest each year.

Synonyms

laborer
vshired woman
  • US
68 1.0

A person who does hard physical work without special skills, often on building sites

is similar work but primarily tied to farms or ranches and female
cowgirl
vshired woman
35 3.2

A woman who works with cattle and rides horses on a ranch or in rodeos

is a broader hired rural labor role, not limited to cattle tasks
farm worker
vshired woman
25 1.1

A person who works on a farm doing jobs like planting or harvesting

is the same farm employment but noted as a female hire
working woman
vshired woman
14 3.2

A woman who has a paid job doing physical tasks outside the home, often in a factory

is more narrowly about hired farm or ranch manual employment
ranch hand
vshired woman
  • US
10 4.4

A person who works on a ranch caring for cattle or horses

is the ranch manual role when the employee is female
farmhand
vshired woman
8 3.0

A person paid to work on a farm doing hard work

is the same farm manual role described specifically for a woman
hired help
vshired woman
7 3.0

People who are paid to do house or farm work

is one such hired worker role specifically applied to a woman
milkmaid
vshired woman
  • Archaic
7 6.8

A woman who milks cows and works in a dairy

is broader farm or ranch hired labor beyond milking tasks
hired hand
vshired woman
7 3.6

A person paid to do manual work on a farm or ranch

is the same farm role when the employee is female
farmworker
vshired woman
5 1.6

A person who works on a farm doing physical tasks like planting and caring for animals

is that farm labor role when the employee is a woman
working girl
vshired woman
  • Archaic
3 3.3

A woman who has a job and earns money

is narrower, indicating hired manual labour on farms or ranches
agricultural laborer
vshired woman
1 3.2

A person who works on a farm doing manual tasks like planting and harvesting

is that agricultural role when the employee is female
dairymaid
vshired woman
1 8.2

A woman who works with milk and makes butter or cheese

is general hired farm labor rather than dairy specific work
henwife
vshired woman
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A woman who keeps hens and collects their eggs

is broader hired agricultural work rather than specialised poultry care
farmerette
vshired woman
  • Archaic
9.4

A woman who works in fields to grow crops

is the same hired rural labor role rather than a farm owner
cattlewoman
vshired woman
6.8

A woman who owns and cares for cattle on a farm

is employment as hired rural labor rather than cattle ownership
plowwoman
vshired woman
  • Archaic
8.2

A woman who turns and prepares the soil in fields with animals or machines

is wider farm or ranch hired labor beyond just ploughing
stablewoman
vshired woman
8.8

A woman who works in a stable to feed and care for horses

is the wider hired farm or ranch labor role rather than stable work only
stablegirl
vshired woman
8.5

A girl or woman who cares for horses in a stable

is the general hired rural labor role not limited to stables
utility woman
vshired woman
  • US
7.4

A female worker who does different jobs when needed

is focused on farm or ranch manual tasks rather than varied duties
workingwoman
vshired woman
4.2

A woman who does paid work in a factory or manual job

is similar but used mainly for hired farm or ranch manual work
workwoman
vshired woman
  • Archaic
4.8

A woman who does physical work in a factory or workshop

is specifically about hired manual farm or ranch labour

How Skilled

supervisor
346 2.8
domestic
  • UK
14 5.8
hired woman
4.1
helper
79 1.0

Surface Forms

hired woman singular
hired women plural

Morphology

hired + woman

The meaning 'a woman employed to work' is directly and compositionally derived from 'hired' (engaged to work for payment) modifying 'woman' (an adult female), following a standard adjective + noun pattern. This is a simple, cross-linguistically common construction, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The term hired woman comes from old farms where a hired woman was paid to do daily chores like milking cows and collecting eggs. Seeing a woman arrive to work each season helps explain why it simply means 'a woman employed as a laborer'.