wife: Meaning and Definition of

wife

Pronunciation: (wīf), [key]
— n., pl. v., wives wifed, wif•ing.
—n.
  1. a woman joined in marriage to a man; a woman considered in relation to her husband; spouse.
  2. a woman or except in idioms): old wives' tale.
  3. to marry (a particular woman): He took an heiress to wife.
—v.i., v.t.
  1. wive.

-wife

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a combining form ofnow unproductive, occurring in compound words that in general designate traditional roles or occupations of women: fishwife; goodwife; housewife; midwife.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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