Definition
A young woman or girl working on a farm; a female farmer, especially one employed in agricultural labor during wartime or shortages.
Etymology
From 'farmer' plus the diminutive suffix -ette (meaning 'small' or 'female'). This term became popular in the early 20th century, especially during WWI and WWII.
Kelly Says
During World War II, 'farmerettes' replaced men who'd gone to war—thousands of young women joined the Land Army in Britain, proving they could do every farm job just as well!
Translations
ARالعربية
فلاحة
fa-la-hah
CACatalà
agricultora
a-gri-ku-lo-rah
CSČeština
zemědělnice
zem-e-deh-l-ni-tseh
DADansk
bondepige
bon-deh-pee-geh
DEDeutsch
Landwirtin
lant-vyer-tin
ELΕλληνικά
γεωργός
yeo-rgos
ESEspañol
campesina
kam-peh-see-nah
FAفارسی
زن کشاورز
zen-e-kash-vaaz
FISuomi
maatalousyrittäjä
maa-taa-loo-y-rit-taa-ja
FRFrançais
paysanne
pɛ.sɑn
HAHA
ma'aikaciya
ma-ai-ka-tsi-ya
HEעברית
חקלאית
cha-kla-it
HIहिन्दी
किसान महिला
kee-saan meh-la-kah
HUMagyar
parasztasszony
pa-ra-szt-as-szo-nny
IDBahasa Indonesia
petani wanita
pe-ta-nee wa-na-tah
IGIG
onye na-eji
oh-nye na-eh-jee
ITItaliano
agricoltrice
a-gree-kol-tree-tseh
KKKK
жеке агроном
zhe-ke a-gro-nom
MRMR
शेतकरी
she-ta-ka-ree
MSBahasa Melayu
peke
pe-keh
NLNederlands
landvrouwe
land-vrow-uh
NONorsk
bonde kvinne
bon-deh kwin-neh
PLPolski
rolniczka
rol-ni-tza
PTPortuguês
camponesa
kam-po-neh-sah
RORomână
fermieră
fer-mee-reh
RUРусский
фермерша
fer-mer-sha
SVSvenska
bondehustru
bon-deh-hu-stru
SWKiswahili
mkulima
m-koo-lee-ma
TAதமிழ்
வீட்டுப் பண்ணையர்
vee-tu-p-pan-nai-yar
TEతెలుగు
వ్యవసాయురాలు
vyavasayuru-raalu
THไทย
เกษตรกรหญิง
gaet-taek-groh-ying
TLTL
magsasaka
magsa-sa-ka
TRTürkçe
çiftçis
chift-chis
UKУкраїнська
фермерка
fer-mer-ka
URاردو
کاشتکار خاتون
kasht-kar kha-toon
VITiếng Việt
nữ nông dân
nu-nuong-dan
YOYO
ọmọ-ọ̀pọ̀
oh-moh-oh-poh
ZUZU
umshayeli
oom-sha-ye-lee
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Diminutive form popularized in 20th-century English to denote female agricultural workers, especially during wartime labor drives. The diminutive -ette infantilizes women's agricultural labor and denies them full professional status.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'farmer' or 'farm worker' for all practitioners. The diminutive form trivializes serious agricultural labor; reserve -ette only for actual diminutive objects (e.g., kitchenette, launderette).
Inclusive Alternatives
["farmer","farm worker","agricultural laborer"]
Empowerment Note
Female agricultural workers (especially 'farmerettes' in WWII) performed essential food production; the diminutive naming erased their economic and strategic contribution to national security.