where does the words "woman" and "man" come from?

Question

where does the words "woman" and "man" come from?

Answer 1

In Old English, 'man' originally meant 'human being'. That is, it could refer to either sex. If you wanted to refer to one sex or the other, the terms were 'wer' for the male and 'wif' for the female.(We still see 'wer' in our word "werewolf", and we still see 'wif' in our word 'wife').

Around the year 1000 (late Old English) 'man' came to mean 'male person'. At the same time the word 'woman' came into existence, as a combination of 'wif' and 'man'. (Thus the combination was 'wif-man' or female-man, NOT 'wife of a man'.)

Answer 2

Quotes from sources (sourced below):

Man: [Origin: bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE man(n); c. G Mann, D man, ON mathr, Goth manna; (v.) ME mannen, OE mannian to garrison]

So, man comes from Old English.

Woman: [Origin: bef. 900; ME womman, wimman, OE wīfman, equiv. to wīf female + man human being; see wife, man1]

Woman comes from Old English, meaning wife of a man.