jurywoman
LowFormal, Legal, Potentially dated
Definition
Meaning
A woman who serves as a member of a jury in a court of law.
A female member of a jury, a group of people sworn to render a verdict in a legal case based on evidence presented. This term is less common today than the gender-neutral "juror."
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term is explicitly gendered, marking the juror's sex. Its use has declined in favor of the gender-neutral 'juror' in most modern legal contexts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is parallel in both varieties. Both British and American English have largely moved towards 'juror' as the standard term.
Connotations
Can be seen as formal or specific when distinguishing gender is relevant. In everyday use, it may sound slightly old-fashioned or politically incorrect to some.
Frequency
Rare in contemporary legal documents and news reporting, which predominantly use 'juror' or 'member of the jury.'
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Jurywoman + on + [case/trial]Jurywoman + for + [court]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “twelve good men and true (and women)”
- “jury of one's peers”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Not applicable.
Academic
Used in socio-legal studies discussing gender representation in the justice system.
Everyday
Very rare; 'juror' is the common term.
Technical
Found in older legal texts or when specifically reporting the gender composition of a jury.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- To jurywoman is not a standard verb.
American English
- To jurywoman is not a standard verb.
adverb
British English
- Not applicable.
American English
- Not applicable.
adjective
British English
- She had jurywoman duties.
- The jurywoman perspective was valuable.
American English
- She had jury duty.
- The juror's perspective was valuable.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The jurywoman listened to the lawyer.
- One jurywoman asked to see the evidence again.
- After being selected, the jurywoman was instructed not to discuss the case.
- The defence challenged the potential jurywoman for cause, alleging potential bias.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'jury' + 'woman' = a woman on the jury. Remember it's a compound noun.
Conceptual Metaphor
The jury is the conscience of the community; a jurywoman is a female representative of that conscience.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate as 'жюри женщина' (incorrect compounding). The correct equivalent is 'присяжная' (female juror) or the neutral 'член жюри/присяжных'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'jurywoman' for a male (incorrect: 'He was a jurywoman').
- Overusing the gendered term when 'juror' is more appropriate.
- Spelling as 'jury women' (two words).
Practice
Quiz
Which term is most commonly used in modern legal contexts?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it has largely been replaced by the gender-neutral term 'juror' or 'member of the jury'.
The male-specific term is 'juryman', but it is similarly dated. 'Juror' is used for all genders.
No, it is exclusively a noun. The related verb is 'to serve on a jury' or 'to jury' (archaic).
It is not grammatically incorrect, but it is stylistically marked and often avoided in contemporary neutral language.