goodwife
Americannoun
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Chiefly Scot. the mistress of a household.
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(initial capital letter) a title of respect for a woman.
noun
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the mistress of a household
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a woman not of gentle birth: used as a title
Other Word Forms
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.
Paying small heed to those about her, the goodwife sipped the water, prayed quietly.
From Time Magazine Archive
She, too, had three attendants�her aunt, another goodwife who had borne 17 children, and her husband Ovila Dionne.
From Time Magazine Archive
Then my father looked in at the door and said, "'Tis time, goodwife, for young folks to be abed."
From The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6 A Monthly Eclectic Magazine by Rameur, E.
What Clon had been seeking on the path between the house and the village, what the goodwife of the inn had sought among the sweepings of yard and floor, I knew now,--the sachet.
From Historical Romances: Under the Red Robe, Count Hannibal, A Gentleman of France by Weyman, Stanley J.
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.
