-man

combining form in countable noun

indicating a person who has a role, works in a place, or operates equipment as specified

⇒ salesman

⇒ barman

⇒ cameraman

The use of words ending in -man is avoided as implying a male in job advertisements, where sexual discrimination is illegal, and in many other contexts where a term that is not gender-specific is available, such as salesperson, barperson, camera operator

-man

1

a combining form of man¹ :

layman; postman.

Usage note

The use of -man as the last element in compounds referring to a person of either sex who performs some function (anchorman; chairman; spokesman) has declined a great deal in recent years. Only if the reference is to a specific male person are such compounds still widely used: Roy Johnston, Channel 83 news anchorman. Sometimes the sex-neutral -person is substituted for -man when the sex of the individual involved is unknown or irrelevant: anchorperson; chairperson; spokesperson. Often when a specific woman is involved, the suffix -woman is used: Doris Powell, Channel 83 news anchorwoman. And sometimes, when possible, a form with no suffix at all is used: Roy Johnston, Channel 83 news anchor.

All terms historically ending in -man that designate specific occupations (foreman; mailman; policeman; repairman; etc.) were dropped in favor of sex-neutral terms in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), published by the U.S. Dept. of Labor in 1977. DOT terms for the occupations listed above are supervisor, mail or letter carrier, police officer (or just officer), repairer (as in radio repairer). Many industries and business firms have adopted similar sex-neutral occupational titles.

One -man compound, freshman, is still the term generally used in high schools and colleges and in Congress, and it is applied to both sexes. As a modifier, the singular form freshman is used with both singular and plural nouns: a freshman athlete; freshman legislators. See also chairperson, man, -person, -woman.

Related Words

ombudsman
-person
-woman
bluesman
bookman
cadreman

-man1. a suffix used in forming nouns denoting certain occupations, positions and functions, historically held predominantly by males, as fireman, chairman, policeman.

2. a suffix denoting a man who is an enthusiastic about or skilled in a specified activity, pursuit, etc., as bluesman.

Usage: Job titles formed with the suffix -man have been replaced in the interests of inclusive terminology. An initial attempt to replace -man with -person has left a few compound forms such as spokesperson and sportsperson but on the whole the move has been towards terms which avoid this awkwardness, such as from businessman to business executive, from fireman to firefighter.

-man

/mən/

combining form

in nouns denoting 用于名词, 表示：

■ a male of a specified nationality or origin “…国家（或地方）的人”：: Frenchman

Yorkshireman.

■ a man belonging to a distinct specified group “属于…类的人”：: layman.

■ a person, especially a male, having a specified occupation or role “从事…职业（或具有…身份）的人（尤指男性）”：: exciseman

chairman

oarsman.

■ a ship of a specified kind “…船”：: merchantman.

USAGETraditionally, the form -man was combined with other words to create a term denoting an occupation or role, as in fireman, layman, chairman, and freshman. As the role of women in society has changed, with the result that women are now more likely to be in roles previously held exclusively by men, many of these terms ending in -man have been challenged as sexist and out of date. As a result, there has been a gradual shift away from -man compounds except where referring to a specific male person. Alternative gender-neutral terms are used, for example firefighter and fresher, and new ones which only a few decades ago seemed odd or awkward today seem unexceptionable： chair/chairperson, layperson, and sportsperson.

-man

Suffix
(plural -men)

Someone (implied male) who is an expert in an area.

horseman, sportsman
Someone (implied male) who is employed or holds a position in an area.

lawman, newsman
Someone (implied male) who has special characteristics relating to an area.

freeman, iceman, superman
In certain cases, someone (implied male) who derives from a particular nationality.

Scotsman, Chinaman

Etymology

From the noun man.

Usage notes

To include men and women, either the suffix -person is used, or a gender-inclusive synonym, for example police officer instead of policeman.

Frequently employed in the names of comic book characters, e.g. Aquaman, Batman, Sandman, Superman, etc.

Antonyms

-woman

Hypernyms

-person

Derived terms

Category:English words suffixed with -man

horseman

seaman

sportsman

superman

词汇	-man
词根词缀	Collins Dictionary.com Macquarie NewOxfordEC Wiktionary -man combining form in countable noun indicating a person who has a role, works in a place, or operates equipment as specified ⇒ salesman ⇒ barman ⇒ cameraman The use of words ending in -man is avoided as implying a male in job advertisements, where sexual discrimination is illegal, and in many other contexts where a term that is not gender-specific is available, such as salesperson, barperson, camera operator -man 1 a combining form of man¹ : layman; postman. Usage note The use of -man as the last element in compounds referring to a person of either sex who performs some function (anchorman; chairman; spokesman) has declined a great deal in recent years. Only if the reference is to a specific male person are such compounds still widely used: Roy Johnston, Channel 83 news anchorman. Sometimes the sex-neutral -person is substituted for -man when the sex of the individual involved is unknown or irrelevant: anchorperson; chairperson; spokesperson. Often when a specific woman is involved, the suffix -woman is used: Doris Powell, Channel 83 news anchorwoman. And sometimes, when possible, a form with no suffix at all is used: Roy Johnston, Channel 83 news anchor. All terms historically ending in -man that designate specific occupations (foreman; mailman; policeman; repairman; etc.) were dropped in favor of sex-neutral terms in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), published by the U.S. Dept. of Labor in 1977. DOT terms for the occupations listed above are supervisor, mail or letter carrier, police officer (or just officer), repairer (as in radio repairer). Many industries and business firms have adopted similar sex-neutral occupational titles. One -man compound, freshman, is still the term generally used in high schools and colleges and in Congress, and it is applied to both sexes. As a modifier, the singular form freshman is used with both singular and plural nouns: a freshman athlete; freshman legislators. See also chairperson, man, -person, -woman. Related Words ombudsman -person -woman bluesman bookman cadreman -man1. a suffix used in forming nouns denoting certain occupations, positions and functions, historically held predominantly by males, as fireman, chairman, policeman. 2. a suffix denoting a man who is an enthusiastic about or skilled in a specified activity, pursuit, etc., as bluesman. Usage: Job titles formed with the suffix -man have been replaced in the interests of inclusive terminology. An initial attempt to replace -man with -person has left a few compound forms such as spokesperson and sportsperson but on the whole the move has been towards terms which avoid this awkwardness, such as from businessman to business executive, from fireman to firefighter. -man /mən/ combining form in nouns denoting 用于名词, 表示： ■ a male of a specified nationality or origin “…国家（或地方）的人”： Frenchman Yorkshireman. ■ a man belonging to a distinct specified group “属于…类的人”： layman. ■ a person, especially a male, having a specified occupation or role “从事…职业（或具有…身份）的人（尤指男性）”： exciseman chairman oarsman. ■ a ship of a specified kind “…船”： merchantman. USAGETraditionally, the form -man was combined with other words to create a term denoting an occupation or role, as in fireman, layman, chairman, and freshman. As the role of women in society has changed, with the result that women are now more likely to be in roles previously held exclusively by men, many of these terms ending in -man have been challenged as sexist and out of date. As a result, there has been a gradual shift away from -man compounds except where referring to a specific male person. Alternative gender-neutral terms are used, for example firefighter and fresher, and new ones which only a few decades ago seemed odd or awkward today seem unexceptionable： chair/chairperson, layperson, and sportsperson. -man Suffix (plural -men) Someone (implied male) who is an expert in an area. horseman, sportsman Someone (implied male) who is employed or holds a position in an area. lawman, newsman Someone (implied male) who has special characteristics relating to an area. freeman, iceman, superman In certain cases, someone (implied male) who derives from a particular nationality. Scotsman, Chinaman Etymology From the noun man. Usage notes To include men and women, either the suffix -person is used, or a gender-inclusive synonym, for example police officer instead of policeman. Frequently employed in the names of comic book characters, e.g. Aquaman, Batman, Sandman, Superman, etc. Antonyms -woman Hypernyms -person Derived terms Category:English words suffixed with -man horseman seaman sportsman superman
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combining form in countable noun

-man

Related Words

-man

Suffix (plural -men)

Etymology

Usage notes

Antonyms

Hypernyms

Derived terms

Suffix
(plural -men)