Difference Between Girl and Woman

Girl vs Woman

Girl and woman are two terms used to label a female gender based from its maturity. In technicality, both of these terms are applicable to female human regardless of maturity, age, and other factors. These specific terms are used to show politeness in addressing the female humans.

Girl

The term Girl refers to the female human starting from the very moment of the mother’s pregnancy. Until childhood and teenage years, the females are still considered as a girl but when they reach the adolescent period, others prefer to call them as young woman. The term Girl was coined from an Anglo-Saxon word “gerle” during the middle ages around 1300 CE.

Woman

Woman or women is the term given for female humans who have reached the maturity period and adulthood commonly around 18 years old and above. Woman comes from an Old English word “wifman” which literally means “female human”. In the ancient times, women’s roles are to gather herbs, vegetables, and other crops while the men are the ones who will hunt for animal meat.

Difference between Girl and Woman

Girl and woman are both terms applicable for female human yet they differ in one way or the other. Girls are those from birth until the adolescent period and when it reaches the adult stage starting from age 18, they can now be considered as a woman. Originally, the term girl means “a young person of either man or woman” not until the 16th century when they used to term specifically for the female human child alone. Woman, on the other hand, can be used in context as a general term for females no matter what their age or status is.

To be more polite and respectful, always use the term girl if you are addressing a female child and never forget to use woman always if you are addressing an adult and mature female. Addressing an adult female with the term girl is considered by others as an offense especially for the feminists.

In brief: • Girl refers to the female child from birth until adolescence while woman refers to the female human who reached adulthood commonly at the age of 18. • The term girl comes from an Anglo-Saxon word gerle whereas the term woman comes from an Old English word wifman.