Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Wife
Wife
,Noun.
pl.
Wives
(#)
. [OE.
wif
, AS. wif
; akin to OFries. & OS. wif
, D. wijf
, G. weib
, OHG. wīb
, Icel. vīf
, Dan. viv
; and perhaps to Skr. vip
excited, agitated, inspired, vip
to tremble, L. vibrare
to vibrate, E. vibrate
. Cf. Tacitus, [“ Germania” 8]: Inesse quin etiam sanctum aliquid et providum putant, nec aut consilia earum aspernantur aut responsa neglegunt. Cf. Hussy
a jade, Woman
.] 1.
A woman; an adult female; – now used in literature only in certain compounds and phrases, as alewife, fishwife, goodwife, and the like.
“ Both men and wives.” Piers Plowman.
On the green he saw sitting a
wife
. Chaucer.
2.
The lawful consort of a man; a woman who is united to a man in wedlock; a woman who has a husband; a married woman; – correlative of husband.
“ The husband of one wife.” 1 Tin. iii. 2.
Let every one you . . . so love his
wife
even as himself, and the wife
see that she reverence her husband. Eph. v. 33.
To give to wife
, To take to wife
to give or take (a woman) in marriage.
– Wife’s equity
(Law)
, the equitable right or claim of a married woman to a reasonable and adequate provision, by way of settlement or otherwise, out of her choses in action, or out of any property of hers which is under the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery, for the support of herself and her children.
Burrill.
Webster 1828 Edition
Wife
WIFE
,Noun.
plu.
1.
The lawful consort of man; a woman who is united to man in the lawful bonds of wedlock; the correlative of husband.The husband of one wife. 1 Timothy 3.
Let every one of you in particular, so love his wife even as himself, and let the wife see that she reverence her husband. Ephesians 5.
2.
A woman of low employment; as strawberry wives. [Not in use.]