noun
female lay devotee
Buddhist term for a woman who is a devoted follower but not ordained.
彼女は熱心な信女として、毎日お経をあげている。
As a devout female lay devotee, she chants sutras every day.
suffix
Suffix attached to a woman's posthumous Buddhist name, indicating she was a believer. Not used as a standalone word in this sense.
祖母の戒名には「信女」の文字が入っている。
My grandmother's posthumous Buddhist name includes the characters 信女.
信士 is the male equivalent, used as a title for a male lay devotee or in a man's posthumous Buddhist name.
From 信 (faith, belief) and 女 (woman). The term is used in Buddhist contexts to refer to a female lay follower.