A female craftsperson; a woman who is skilled at making things by hand or practicing a craft.
From 'craft' plus 'woman' (Old English 'wifman'). Parallel to 'craftsman,' this term specifically identifies the gender of the skilled worker, following English's pattern of masculine/feminine occupational pairs.
Craftswoman was less common historically because crafts were male-dominated professions, and the word's rarity in old texts actually documents gender exclusion—women made beautiful things but weren't called 'craftswomen.'
Historically used as a corrective term to name women artisans, 'craftswoman' can signal inclusion but also remains a marked category (only women use this; men use 'craftsman' as default).
Use when discussing women's historical contributions or when a woman self-identifies this way; consider 'craftsperson' as the unmarked alternative.
["craftsperson","artisan"]
The emergence of 'craftswoman' in modern usage reflects women reclaiming visibility in skilled trades after centuries of erasure from craft histories.
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