English

Noun

co-wife ‎(plural co-wives)

1. In a polygamous marriage, another wife of a woman's husband.
   • 1892, Kipling & Balestier, Naulahka, page 247:

     If a co-wife had sought the lives of those three of thine.

   • 1990, Syed A. A. Razwy, Khadija-tul-Kubra (the Wife of the Prophet Muhammed) May Allah be Pleased with Her: A Short Story of Her Life), page 165:

     In fact, [Ayesha] was more jealous of Khadija, the dead wife, than she was of any of her living co-wives.

   • 2000, Marjorie Shostak, Nisa, the life and words of a ǃKung woman, page 152:

     If the senior wife decides to make life unbearable for her co-wife and their husband, she is likely to succeed in forcing the newcomer to leave.

   • 2008, Miriam Koktvedgaard Zeitzen, Polygamy: a cross-cultural analysis, page 32:

     In other words, polygamous societies differ markedly with regards to allowing kin, especially sisters, to become co-wives. Sororal polygamy is practised in some societies because it is believed to foster greater cohesiveness among co-wives sharing values and norms, whereas it is specifically forbidden in other polygamous societies.

Synonyms

• co-bride, fellow-wife, wife-in-law

Related terms

• sister-wife
• co-in-law

Coordinate terms

• co-husband

Translations

References

1. ↑ OED