A woman who is in charge of a group of workers or a jury foreman; the female equivalent of foreman.
From 'fore-' (forward/leader) + 'woman.' The term 'foreman' comes from 'fore' meaning chief/leader plus 'man.' 'Forewoman' is the modern gender-neutral alternative that became standard in the 20th century.
The rise of 'forewoman' as a standard term marks a bigger language shift—for decades, people used 'foreman' for everyone, but the women's movement pushed language to catch up with reality!
The term 'forewoman' exists only as derivative from 'foreman' (itself from Old Norse 'foregangr'). The linguistic asymmetry reflects labor history: supervisory positions were presumed male, with 'forewoman' added as afterthought for rare cases of women in leadership.
Use 'foreperson' or 'supervisor' to describe the role regardless of gender. If mentioning the person, use their name or gender-neutral title.
["foreperson","supervisor","team lead","shift lead"]
Women have held supervisory and foreman roles across industries—mining, manufacturing, construction—often without recognition in period documentation. Their leadership should be acknowledged as equally foundational as men's.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.