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Glite Dictionary
laywoman

laywoman

1 7.0
A woman who is not a religious leader or a professional in a field
  • noun
  • /ˈleɪˌwʊmən/
translation icon : laica
  • As a laywoman with family obligations, Lucrezia should not, advised Antoninus, saddle herself with the consuming undertaking of the recitation of the entire Divine Office, as would be required in a monastic context.

Examples

  • The article was written by a laywoman who shared her experiences with the local community health system.

  • Many laywomen play crucial roles in organizing charity events for their religious institutions.

  • But then, of course, that is a take on the discipline by a laywoman who is desperate for results.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Come up hither while you're still a laywoman and I'll give you something to take to the altar.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • If successful, this would have substituted a Lutheran laywoman for a Lutheran bishop.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Six hundred years later, Julian of Norwich, a laywoman and visionary, worried about those "who had received Christendom and live an unchristian life and die out of charity."

    Academic text (2002)

  • The women delegates at Uppsala included Pauline Webb, a Methodist laywoman from the United Kingdom, where she had recently finished a term as vice-president of the Methodist Conference and was, in her professional capacity, director of religious broadcasting in the external services of the BBC.

    Academic text (2018)

  • The session was chaired by a laywoman (Dr. Kathleen Bliss having been invited to assume the chair by central committee chairman Dr. Ernest Payne, who was himself a nominee), but there was no layperson on the list.

    Academic text (2018)

  • As a laywoman, she often felt intimidated by the complex discussions around theology during the conference.

Synonyms

layman
vslaywoman
43 4.9

A person who is not an expert in a subject

is specific to a non-professional of one gender
layperson
vslaywoman
14 4.9

A person who does not have special knowledge or training in a subject

is specific to a non-professional of one gender

Antonyms

professional
401 3.7

A person who has special training and works in a skilled job

clergy
73 3.6

A group of religious leaders like priests or pastors who lead Christian services

How Expert

expert
∞ 3.2
professional
401 3.7
practitioner
120 4.0
laywoman
1 7.0

Surface Forms

laywoman singular
laywomen plural

Morphology

laywoman = lay + woman (transparent) = lay + woman

Meaning is directly built from the adjective 'lay' (non-clerical/non-professional) + 'woman', so a learner who knows both components can infer the sense.

Etymology

Laywoman is made from lay- meaning 'not a member of the clergy or not a professional' and woman meaning a female person. Like layman or layperson, a laywoman is a woman who is not part of the clergy or does not have specialist training, so the word names someone without religious or professional status.