Plural of gildsman; multiple members of craft guilds.
From gildsman + -en (archaic/irregular plural). While modern English would use 'gildsmen,' the historical spelling might vary, showing remnants of older plural patterns like 'men,' 'oxen,' 'brethren.'
The irregular plural 'gildsmen' (rather than 'gildsmans') shows that this word reached back into Old English traditions where you could pluralize 'man' as 'men.' This pattern survives in modern words like 'craftsmen,' 'salesmen,' and 'policemen.'
Plural form of 'gildsman'; reinforces male-exclusive framing of guild institutions historically dominated in records by men, despite women's documented labor contributions.
Use 'guild members' or 'guildspeople' as default neutral plural.
["guild members","guildspeople"]
Historical guild records often listed only male members formally, obscuring women's active participation in production and apprenticeship.
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