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.
QUIZZES
DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?
"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
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
wife·dom, nounwife·less, adjectivewife·less·ness, nounWords nearby wife
wienie, wiesbaden, wieschaus, wiesel, wiesenthal, wife, wife swapping, wife-beater, wifehood, wifelike, wifely
Definition 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
Example sentences from the Web for wife
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
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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.