Difference Between Girl and Woman
The words girl and woman are used to label the feminine gender on the basis of maturity. Technically, both of these terms are applicable to the human female irrespective of maturity and age. These terms are used to address the human female politely.
Girl
The term girl refers to the human female from the beginning of the time of pregnancy of the mother. Till teenage years, females are regarded as a girl, but at adolescence, people prefer to call them the young woman. The term daughter originates from the word “Gerle”, an Anglo-Saxon word.
Woman
A woman is a human female who has reached the period of maturity and adulthood commonly about 18 years and above. In Old English word “wifman” which literally means ‘the human female’ stands for ‘woman’. Previously, women were meant to gather vegetables, herbs, etc while men would hunt for meat.
The difference between the Girl and the Woman
The Girl and woman are both terms that apply to the human female yet they differ in one way or the other. Females from birth till 18 are girls and after 18 they are women. Originally, the term girl meant “a young person of the man or woman” not until the 16th century when they used the term to specifically for the female human child alone. The woman on the other hand, can be used in the 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 address a female child and never forget to use the word woman when addressing an adult and matured female. Referring an adult female as a girl is regarded by others as an offence especially by feminists.