wife
Meanings
Plural: wives
Noun
- a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
- A married woman, especially in relation to her spouse.
- The female of a pair of mated animals.
- Synonym of woman.
Verb
- To marry (a woman).
Origin / Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *wībą
Proto-West Germanic *wīb
Old English wīf
Middle English wyf
English wife
Inherited from Middle English wyf, wif, from Old English wīf (“woman, wife”), from Proto-West Germanic *wīb, from Proto-Germanic *wībą (“woman, wife”).
Germanic cognates include Scots wife (“wife”), West Frisian wiif (“wife, woman”), Saterland Frisian Wieuw (“woman, lady, female”), North Frisian wüf (“wife, woman”), Dutch wijf (“woman, female”), Low German Wief (“woman, female”), German Weib (“woman, wife, female”), Danish viv (“wife, woman”), Norwegian viv (“wife, woman, girl”), Swedish viv (“woman”), Faroese vív (“wife, woman”), Icelandic víf (“woman”).
The further etymology is unknown, with a number of disputed suggestions. One suggestion connects Tocharian A/B kip/kwīpe (“genitals, female pudenda”), for a hypothetical Indo-European *gʰwíbʰ- (“pudenda”).
Another suggestion connects Old English wǣfan (“wrap, clothe”), Old Norse vífa (“wrap, veil”) for a suggested original motive of "married woman wearing a scarf".
Yet another suggestion connects Old High German weibōn (“move to and fro”), Old Norse veifa (“swing, throw”), for a motive of "one who is moving busily; housekeeper, maidservant" (cf. German Weibel (“manservant, usher”)).
Synonyms
'er indoors, ball and chain, better half, boss, bride, dutch, frow, geezer, her indoors, lady, little lady, little woman, married woman, memsahib, missus, old lady, old woman, trouble, trouble and strife, wife, wifekin, wifelet, wifeling, wifey, wive, woman
Scrabble Score: 10
wife is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL wordwife is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
wife is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary