goodwife
Americannoun
plural
goodwives-
Chiefly Scot. the mistress of a household.
-
(initial capital letter) a title of respect for a woman.
noun
-
the mistress of a household
-
a woman not of gentle birth: used as a title
Etymology
Origin of goodwife
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at good, wife
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She, too, had three attendants�her aunt, another goodwife who had borne 17 children, and her husband Ovila Dionne.
From Time Magazine Archive
Paying small heed to those about her, the goodwife sipped the water, prayed quietly.
From Time Magazine Archive
Well, we must try if we can't send you some more; and, harkee, if the goodwife doesn't get better soon, send us up word to the Hall, and we'll have the doctor call on her.
From Ten Thousand a-Year. Volume 1. by Warren, Samuel
“I’m saying, Luckie,” says he, when the goodwife returned, “have ye a back road out of this change-house?”
From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 11 (of 25) by Stevenson, Robert Louis
Wife, why didst thou say that the goodwife R. is a witch?
From Witch, Warlock, and Magician Historical Sketches of Magic and Witchcraft in England and Scotland by Adams, W. H. Davenport (William Henry Davenport)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
