wife
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wife
(wīf)n. pl. wives (wīvz)
A woman joined to another person in marriage; a female spouse.
[Middle English wif, woman, wife, from Old English wīf.]
wife′hood′ n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
wife
(waɪf)n, pl wives (waɪvz)
1. (Law) one's (female) partner in marriage; a married woman.
2. an archaic or dialect word for woman
3. take to wife to marry (a woman)
[Old English wīf; related to Old Norse vīf (perhaps from vīfathr veiled), Old High German wīb (German Weib)]
ˈwifehood n
ˈwifeless adj
ˈwifeˌlike adj
ˈwifeliness n
ˈwifely adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
wife
(waɪf)n., pl. wives (waɪvz)
1. a woman joined in marriage to a man and considered as his spouse.
2. a woman (archaic or dial., except in idioms): old wives' tales.
Idioms: take to wife, to marry (a particular woman): And he took to wife a woman of the next village.
[before 900; Middle English, Old English wīf woman, c. Old Frisian, Old Saxon wīf, Old High German wīp, Old Norse vīf]
-wife
a combining form of wife, now unproductive, occurring in words that designate traditional roles or occupations of women: fishwife; goodwife; housewife; midwife.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Wife
See also marriage.
1. the murder of a wife by a husband.
2. a husband who murders his wife. — uxoricidal, adj.
2. a husband who murders his wife. — uxoricidal, adj.
Obsolete, the condition of widowhood. Also viduity. — vidual, adj.
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | wife - a married woman; a man's partner in marriage battle-axe, battle-ax - a sharp-tongued domineering wife crown princess - the wife of a crown prince first lady - the wife of a chief executive golf widow - a wife who is left alone much of the time because her husband is playing golf honest woman - a wife who has married a man with whom she has been living for some time (especially if she is pregnant at the time); "he made an honest woman of her" homemaker, housewife, lady of the house, woman of the house - a wife who manages a household while her husband earns the family income marchioness - the wife or widow of a marquis matron - a married woman (usually middle-aged with children) who is staid and dignified mayoress - the wife of a mayor old lady - your own wife; "meet my old lady" signora - an Italian title of address equivalent to Mrs. when used before a name trophy wife - a wife who is an attractive young woman; seldom the first wife of an affluent older man; "his trophy wife was an asset to his business" vicereine - wife of a viceroy viscountess - a wife or widow of a viscount adult female, woman - an adult female person (as opposed to a man); "the woman kept house while the man hunted" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
wife
noun spouse, woman (informal), partner, mate, squeeze (informal), bride, old woman (informal), old lady (informal), little woman (informal), significant other (U.S. informal), better half (humorous), her indoors (Brit. slang), helpmate, helpmeet, (the) missis or missus (informal), vrou (S. African), bidie-in (Scot.) He married his wife Jane 37 years ago.
Related words
adjective uxorial
adjective uxorial
Quotations
"If you get a good wife you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher" [Socrates]
"Wives are young men's mistresses, companions for middle age, and old men's nurses" [Francis Bacon]
"An ideal wife is any woman who has an ideal husband" [Booth Tarkington]
"I... chose my wife, as she did her wedding gown, not for a fine glossy surface, but such qualities as would wear well" [Oliver Goldsmith The Vicar of Wakefield]
"My fairest, my espoused, my latest found,"
"Heaven's last best gift, my ever new delight" [John Milton Paradise Lost]
"best image of myself and dearer half" [John Milton Paradise Lost]
"If you get a good wife you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher" [Socrates]
"Wives are young men's mistresses, companions for middle age, and old men's nurses" [Francis Bacon]
"An ideal wife is any woman who has an ideal husband" [Booth Tarkington]
"I... chose my wife, as she did her wedding gown, not for a fine glossy surface, but such qualities as would wear well" [Oliver Goldsmith The Vicar of Wakefield]
"My fairest, my espoused, my latest found,"
"Heaven's last best gift, my ever new delight" [John Milton Paradise Lost]
"best image of myself and dearer half" [John Milton Paradise Lost]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
زَوْجَةزَوْجَه
женасъпруга
manželkažena
konefruhustru
edzino
naine
زن
vaimoaviovaimo
supruga
feleségasszony
istri
eiginkonakona
妻
아내
uxor
bobučių pasakapatismurto panaudojimas prieš žmonąžmonažmonos sumušimas
sieva
nevastăsoţie
manželkažena
soproga
fruhustrumaka
ภรรยา
vợ
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
wife
n pl <wives> → Frau f, → Gattin f (form), → Gemahlin f (liter, form); the wife (inf) → die Frau; a woman whom he would never make his wife → eine Person, die er niemals zu seiner Frau machen würde; businessmen who take their wives with them on their trips → Geschäftsleute, die ihre (Ehe)frauen or Damen mit auf Geschäftsreise nehmen; to take a wife (old) → sich (dat) → eine Frau or ein Weib (old) → nehmen; to take somebody to wife (old) → jdn zum Weibe nehmen (old)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
wife
[waɪf] n (wives (pl)) → moglie fthe wife (fam) → la padrona
it's just an old wives' tale → è solo una superstizione
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
wife
(waif) – plural wives (waivz) – noun the woman to whom one is married. Come and meet my wife; He is looking for a wife.
old wives' tale a superstitious and misleading story.
ˈwife-battering noun the crime of beating one's own wife.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
wife
→ زَوْجَة manželka kone Ehefrau σύζυγος esposa vaimo épouse supruga moglie 妻 아내 vrouw kone żona esposa жена fru ภรรยา karı vợ 妻子Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
wife
n. esposa.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
wife
n (pl wives) esposaEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.