wifeless

as inunmarried

Synonyms for wifeless

adj not presently wed

Antonyms for wifeless

Word Origin & History

Old English wif "woman," from Proto-Germanic *wiban (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian wif, Old Norse vif, Danish and Swedish viv, Middle Dutch, Dutch wijf, Old High German wib, German Weib), of uncertain origin. Dutch wijf now means, in slang, "girl, babe," having softened somewhat from earlier sense of "bitch."

Some proposed PIE roots include *weip- "to twist, turn, wrap," perhaps with sense of "veiled person" (see vibrate); or *ghwibh-, a proposed root meaning "shame," also "pudenda," but the only examples of it are wife and Tocharian (a lost IE language of central Asia) kwipe, kip "female pudenda."

The modern sense of "female spouse" began as a specialized sense in Old English; the general sense of "woman" is preserved in midwife, old wives' tale, etc. Middle English sense of "mistress of a household" survives in housewife; and later restricted sense of "tradeswoman of humble rank" in fishwife. Wife-swapping is attested from 1954.

Example Sentences for wifeless

It is said that the skeleton of that wifeless man lies there in the south to this day.

I will not take you,” said the wifeless man, “for you pick your food from the muck-heaps.

“Comb my hair,” said the wifeless man, now very happy once more.

Elijah nodded as one who understood; yet he was a wifeless, childless man.

Rhodo was wifeless, childless, and had been so for forty years.

At this pause it is to be said that the son of Jahdai was wifeless.

But one thing, it seems to me, you lack: you are a wifeless knight.

They who were wifeless pressed their claims at the hands of those who were married.

And so he drifted—not such a bachelor as Beethoven, yet quite as wifeless.

Fleda had come from her own night of trouble to his motherless, wifeless home, and would not be denied admittance by the nurse.

wifeless

Synonyms for wifeless

Antonyms for wifeless

More words related to wifeless

unmarried