SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

clanswoman

noun clans·wom·an \ ˈklanz-ˌwu̇-mən \

Definition of clanswoman

plural clanswomen

:a woman who is a member of a clan

The fear of incest … originated in the dangers attributed to contact with the menstrual blood of a clanswoman.
—L. R. Hiatt, Argument about Aborigines, 1990

There's more!

Love words? You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
Advanced search features
Ad free!

First Known Use of clanswoman

1815

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up clanswoman? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

nuncupative

play

spoken rather than written

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-59ea52ed7b96f

Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Where did we get 'freshman' and 'sophomore'?

alt-59e900afadac6

The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

In the past, you could invent fruit.

alt-59e8c3440f453

I'll Have the Us(ual)

Shortening 'usual': easy to say, hard to spell

alt-59e77dc36c593

The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

From the front hallways to the back rooms

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots

The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

Take the quiz

knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus

Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

Take the quiz

Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game