comfort woman

American  

[kuhm-fert woom-uhn] / ˈkʌm fərt ˌwʊm ən /

noun

1. a girl or woman forced into prostitution by Japanese soldiers during World War II.

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Etymology

Origin of comfort woman

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

“The comfort woman statue serves as a symbol permanently denouncing Japan,” it said.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2024

The deal is also controversial because of suggestions by Japanese officials that South Korea has agreed to remove a statue of a young girl outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul that represents a comfort woman.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 28, 2016

In it, Maria Rosa Henson tells the story of her life in the Philippines and her internment as a comfort woman.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2016

Lee Yong-su, an 88-year-old former comfort woman, said she would “ignore it all.”

From Washington Post • Dec. 28, 2015

Lee Yong Soo, a Korean and a former comfort woman, says, “If I am ever born again, I hope to be born as a woman soldier.”

From New York Times • Dec. 19, 2014