noun
Literary or archaic term for an old woman; not used in everyday conversation. Modern Japanese prefers 老女 (ろうじょ) or おばあさん.
古い物語には、おうなと呼ばれる老女がよく登場する。
In old tales, an elderly woman called おうな often appears.
The reading おうな is of native origin, likely from Old Japanese. The exact derivation is uncertain; the kanji 老女, 嫗, and 媼 are all used to represent the meaning 'elderly woman'.