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Antonyms for wife


Grammar : Noun
Spell : wahyf
Phonetic Transcription : waɪf



Definition of wife

Origin :
  • Old English wif "woman," from Proto-Germanic *wiban (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian wif, Old Norse vif, Danish and Swedish viv, Middle Dutch, Dutch wijf, Old High German wib, German Weib), of uncertain origin. Dutch wijf now means, in slang, "girl, babe," having softened somewhat from earlier sense of "bitch."
  • Some proposed PIE roots include *weip- "to twist, turn, wrap," perhaps with sense of "veiled person" (see vibrate); or *ghwibh-, a proposed root meaning "shame," also "pudenda," but the only examples of it are wife and Tocharian (a lost IE language of central Asia) kwipe, kip "female pudenda."
  • The modern sense of "female spouse" began as a specialized sense in Old English; the general sense of "woman" is preserved in midwife, old wives' tale, etc. Middle English sense of "mistress of a household" survives in housewife; and later restricted sense of "tradeswoman of humble rank" in fishwife. Wife-swapping is attested from 1954.
  • noun married woman
Example sentences :
  • Again he recurred to his early years, and talked fondly of his wife and children.
  • Extract from : « Philothea » by Lydia Maria Child
  • Too bad, though—you certainly need a wife to take the conceit out of you.
  • Extract from : « The Spenders » by Harry Leon Wilson
  • The girls I know are taught painstakingly how to get a husband, but nothing of how to be a wife.
  • Extract from : « The Spenders » by Harry Leon Wilson
  • "I must make you acquainted with my wife and children," he said.
  • Extract from : « Brave and Bold » by Horatio Alger
  • He did not remember who he was, or that he had a wife and child.
  • Extract from : « Brave and Bold » by Horatio Alger
  • He was married, but constantly said he was about to leave his wife, so she would divorce him.
  • Extract from : « The Spenders » by Harry Leon Wilson
  • "Discharge the boy from your employment," said his wife, promptly.
  • Extract from : « Brave and Bold » by Horatio Alger
  • Nalle is an octoroon; his wife has the same infusion of Caucasian blood.
  • Extract from : « Harriet, The Moses of Her People » by Sarah H. Bradford
  • The captain had assured him that neither his wife nor son knew aught of his savings.
  • Extract from : « Brave and Bold » by Horatio Alger
  • On which of his two sets of principles he would manage a wife remained to be proved.
  • Extract from : « Malbone » by Thomas Wentworth Higginson

Synonyms for wife

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019