wife

¹

[ wahyf ]

noun

, plural wives [wahyvz].

1. a married woman, especially when considered in relation to her partner in marriage.
2. a woman ( archaic or dial., except in idioms):

   old wives' tale.

verb (used with or without object)

, wifed, wif·ing.

1. Rare. wive.

-wife

²

1. a combining form of wife, now unproductive, occurring in compound words that in general designate traditional roles or occupations of women:

   fishwife; goodwife; housewife; midwife.

wife

/ waɪf /

noun

1. a man's partner in marriage; a married woman uxorial
2. an archaic or dialect word for woman
3. take to wife
   to marry (a woman)

Derived Forms

• ˈwifeless, adjective
• ˈwifehood, noun
• ˈwifeliness, noun
• ˈwifely, adjective
• ˈwifeˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• wifedom noun
• wifeless adjective
• wifeless·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wife¹

before 900; Middle English, Old English wīf woman; cognate with Dutch wijf, German Weib, Old Norse vīf

Word History and Origins

Origin of wife¹

Old English wīf; related to Old Norse vīf (perhaps from vīfathr veiled), Old High German wīb (German Weib )

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. take to wife, to marry (a particular woman):

   He took an heiress to wife.

More idioms and phrases containing wife

see under wives .

Example Sentences

In straight relationships with an age gap, words like ‘gold-digger’ and ‘trophy wife’ get thrown around.

From The Daily Beast

His wife passed away and they had kids, and he wanted to focus on being a dad so he just stopped to raise his kids.

From The Daily Beast

The band was still on its way back as De Blasio and his wife departed.

From The Daily Beast

Except for maybe his brainiac wife… but she could do better anyway.

From The Daily Beast

So when my wife and I moved to Laurel Canyon I spent my first year working night and day on the show.

From The Daily Beast

But Mrs. Dodd, the present vicar's wife, retained the precious prerogative of choosing the book to be read at the monthly Dorcas.

From Project Gutenberg

And that was that if he and his wife were to ever live together again and be happy, the family were to be kept out of it.

From Project Gutenberg

His wife stood smiling and waving, the boys shouting, as he disappeared in the old rockaway down the sandy road.

From Project Gutenberg

To Harrison and his wife there was no distinction between the executive and judicial branches of the law.

From Project Gutenberg

The Authorised Version has: “And as a mother shall she meet him, and receive him as a wife married of a virgin.”

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bride
• companion
• partner
• roommate
• spouse