-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.
RELATED CONTENT
Why Do We Call It A “Wife Beater” Shirt?How did a violent term become a piece of clothing? We’re in a bubbling cauldron of gender issues, and they’re boiling to the surface. To contribute to this heated discussion, we think there’s no better time to take wife beater, the slang term for that ubiquitous sleeveless white shirt, to the dump for good. But, how did the violent term become associated with a piece …
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019