Merriam Webster dictionary changing definition of woman *title edited at requ of OP*

I'm horrified at a dictionary going along with this

I wrote to collins about their school dictionary/thesaurus which said that female was the gender that...

They apologised when I said the word was sex. But schools are full of these incorrect dictionaries.

Maybe if enough people contact them they will think twice about messing with definitions in future. At least if they want to preserve their reputation as a credible publication.

Merriam Webster is the American equivalent of the OED (I believe). It's not some little guide to obscure urban slang.

They've done something similar with 'trans man' I think, though, so at least they're not discriminating

I, too, am quite surprised this thread has not received more traction.

Aaarghhh I have just contacted them asking how their definition of a 'trans woman' is 'woman' if their own definition of woman is 'adult female'. I have asked them for clarification.

Excellent! I'd love to read their answer as they try to wriggle out of the corner they've brainlessly painted themselves into. But please don't hold your breath, EdgeOfACoin. Ignoring critics or even questions is standard practice for organisations that know they're in the wrong. Shame that Merriam-Webster is or I thought it was a reputable dictionary.

Who is this Merriam Webster person?

One of the main US dictionaries.

A dictionary is re-defining what it is to be a woman

They don't appear to have done that (yet...) - they've just defined 'trans woman' in a way that makes no logical sense. Lexicographers reflect usage so I suppose that an illogical definition isn't entirely their fault. Collins has a similar definition. Lexico.com (which I think is an online version of the oxford dictionary) still has 'A male-to-female transsexual.' Which is clear, and more readily understood by anyone who might actually need to look it up, I'm slightly surprised they haven't changed 'transsexual' to some sort of 'gender' term by now.

It makes no sense

A transwoman is a woman who was identified as male at birth

What is a woman?

A woman is an adult human female

What is a man?

A man is an adult human male

What is a male?

A male is of the sex that can produce sperm - see also man

What is a female?

A female is of the sex that can produce ova - see also woman

So if you follow this logical a transwoman is defined as producing both sperm and ova.

This is what happens when you start off with a big lie and end up in a spiral of having to tell more lies to justify the first lie.

I was watching the Spectator discussion between Lionel Shriver and Douglas Murray earlier (that took place last year). One of the things that really resonated with me was Ms Shriver saying that the trans movement's grip on institutions is social insanity and we do not have to cooperate with it. It nearly made me cry hearing her say that. We do not have to cooperate with this bullshit.

If a woman who was identified as male at birth is a "trans woman" then they're effectively redefining people with a particular DSD presentation as trans.

If they'd said "a woman who is male" I'd have somewhat less of an issue with it, although I'd immediately be looking up their entry on "woman" to work out what the hell they think it means, since they obviously don't believe it denotes sex. But intersex advocacy groups have asked repeatedly to be left out of this shitshow, and now the sodding dictionary is getting in on the act, ffs.

Obviously a pretty shoddy dictionary, mind. They're supposed to document existing usage, not prescribe or proscribe it.

Aaarghhh I have just contacted them asking how their definition of a 'trans woman' is 'woman' if their own definition of woman is 'adult female'.

I have asked them for clarification.

Someone over on tttr said that a woman isn’t a transwoman so a transwoman can’t be a woman. It sounded good at the time but makes less sense now but maybe that is the point? I was mulling over it this afternoon on the way to my smear test (a lovely female lady nurse - phew!) and thought that in the situation where they are trying to allocate Nhs resources for maternity care for example, and in the Nhs Trust area there are 10,000 women of child bearing age and 5000 transwomen identified as women, do they make provision for 15000 potential patients (with the guaranteed waste of 5000 places unused capacity, although obviously not all actual women might decide to get pregnant) or would they have to try and identify by some other means (questionnaire? are you planning/able to get pregnant? Although this would be discriminatory to infertile women and presumably the transwomen?) no idea.... how could they do it?

Who is this Merriam Webster person? Absolute tosh isn’t it

What's their definition of a woman?