wife
[ wahyf ]
/ waɪf /
noun, plural wives [wahyvz]. /waɪvz/.
a married woman, especially when considered in relation to her partner in marriage.
a woman (archaic or dial., except in idioms): old wives' tale.
verb (used with or without object), wifed, wif·ing.
Rare. wive.
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Idioms for wife
take to wife, to marry (a particular woman): He took an heiress to wife.
Origin of wife
before 900; Middle English, Old English wīf woman; cognate with Dutch wijf,German Weib,Old Norse vīf
OTHER WORDS FROM wife
wifedom, nounwifeless, adjectivewife·less·ness, nounDefinition for wife (2 of 2)
-wife
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for wife
wife
/ (waɪf) /
noun plural wives (waɪvz)
a man's partner in marriage; a married womanRelated adjective: uxorial
an archaic or dialect word for woman
take to wife to marry (a woman)
Derived forms of wife
Word Origin for wife
Old English wīf; related to Old Norse vīf (perhaps from vīfathr veiled), Old High German wīb (German Weib)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with wife
wife
see under wives.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.