Kollegin

Kollegin is a feminine noun in German that denotes a female colleague or coworker. It is the feminine counterpart to Kollege, the masculine form, and is used in professional, academic, and organizational contexts to refer to a woman who shares a workplace or study environment. The term is common in everyday workplace language as well as formal writing.

Etymology and forms: Kollege comes from the Latin collega, meaning partner or fellow, and reached German through historical usage in educational and professional settings. The feminine form Kollegin is created by adding the suffix -in. The plural is Kolleginnen, while the masculine plural is Kollegen. In mixed-gender references, many speakers use both forms together, for example, Kolleginnen und Kollegen, to include all genders.

Usage notes: In speech, "Meine Kollegin" means "my female colleague." In inclusive language practices, it is common to pair feminine and masculine forms or to use gender-neutral alternatives such as "Kolleginnen und Kollegen" to address all colleagues. Depending on the context and stylistic guidelines, some texts may prefer neutral terms like "das Team" or "die Belegschaft" rather than gendered nouns.

See also: Kollege (masculine form), Kollegium (the concept of a collegial body or faculty), and related terms in German that reflect gendered noun formation. The term should not be confused with romantically connoted terms such as Freundin, as Kollegin specifically denotes a professional relationship.