henchwomann.
/ˈhɛn(t)ʃˌwʊmən/, U.S. /ˈhɛn(t)ʃˌwʊmən/ A female attendant; a woman who is a faithful follower or assistant, esp. (in later use) one prepared to engage in crime or violence on behalf of her leader (cf. henchman n. 5b).rare before the late 20th cent.
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society > law > rule of law > lawlessness > [noun] > crime > a criminal or law-breaker > one who assists > specific kind of
henchwoman1836
minder1896
henchman1905
1836 C. G. F. Gore Diary of Désennuyée II. 35 Miss Wilhelmina Vinicombe begged of me, by Lady Maria, to be her henchwoman.
1889 Mod. Society 24 Aug. 1031/2 She told her faithful hench-woman and scribe to tear up the letter.
1958 Daily Mail 21 Mar. 16/5 Macheath became Mack Heath, 17-year-old gangleader with a 13-year-old Lucy Lockett as henchwoman.
2011 J. Wade River Monsters iv. 68 Blofeld's henchwoman Helga Brandt has just informed her boss that she has failed in her mission to kill James Bond.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1836