What does servicewoman mean?
A servicewoman is a woman who serves in the armed forces. The word is commonly understood as the female counterpart of serviceman and is used in military, historical, journalistic, and biographical contexts. It identifies a person by both military service and gender without suggesting a particular rank, branch, or job. In everyday discussion, the more neutral term servicemember may be preferred when gender is not relevant, while servicewoman remains useful when the subject’s identity as a woman is directly relevant. Historically, the term has helped make women’s participation in military service visible, although its use reflects the longstanding practice of marking many occupations with gendered forms.
nounA woman who serves in the armed forces. The term is the gendered counterpart of serviceman.
- A woman who serves in the armed forces.
"She became a servicewoman after completing her military training."
"The servicewoman was promoted to sergeant after completing a year of deployment."
"The exhibition profiles servicewomen from several generations of the military."
The standard plural is servicewomen, formed by changing the final syllable of woman to women.
"Several servicewomen attended the ceremony at the military base."
Servicewoman pairs the idea of military service with the gendered term woman, making the role of women in the armed forces immediately clear.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does servicewoman come from?
Servicewoman is a modern compound formed from service and woman. Service ultimately comes through Old French from Latin servitium, a noun meaning service or servitude, while woman comes from Old English wimman. The compound follows the established English pattern of specifying a person who performs a service or role, here specifically a woman serving in the armed forces.
How servicewoman is actually used
This term is standard and neutral in both British and American English. It is generally used as the female counterpart to serviceman, though the gender-neutral term servicemember is increasingly preferred in formal and institutional contexts.
Easily confused with servicewoman
A serviceman is a man serving in the armed forces, whereas a servicewoman is a woman serving in the armed forces.