noun
wife
waf
noun
1
A married woman, in relation to her spouse.
"He introduced Sarah as his wife."
"They've been happily married for twenty years — she's a wonderful wife."
2
The female partner in a pair of mated animals.
"The male bird brings food to his wife while she incubates the eggs."
How to Use Wife
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA married woman, seen in relation to her husband or spouse.
Common pairings
husband and wife
become someone's wife
ex-wife
Word Forms
wifed past tense, wives plural, wifes singular
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He introduced Sarah as his _____.
Etymology
From Old English wīf, an old Germanic word originally meaning simply "woman", which later narrowed in English to mean specifically a married woman.