kobieta

Considered derogatory until the 19th century; now the standard, neutral word. Origin uncertain; probably either from Old Polish kob (“pigpen”) or koba (“mare”) (the suffix -ieta is found in some contemporaneous female names (Markieta, Elżbieta, Greta)) or may derive from Proto-Slavic *kobь, from Proto-Indo-European *kob-. Displaced niewiasta (now considered poetic) and żona (meaning narrowed down to "wife"). Akin to Belarusian кабе́та (kabjéta, “married woman”), (obsolete) Russian кобь (kobʹ), Old Norse happ (“good luck”), Old Irish cob (“victory”).

• IPA^(key): /kɔˈbjɛ.ta/

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• Rhymes: -ɛta
• Syllabification: ko‧bie‧ta

kobieta f (diminutive kobietka)

1. woman

   Synonyms: białogłowa, dama, facetka, kobiałka, niewiasta

   Coordinate term: mężczyzna

• Brückner, Aleksander (1927), “kobieta”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish), Warsaw: Wiedza Powszechna, page 241

• kobieta in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• kobieta in Polish dictionaries at PWN