housewife
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housewife
- /ˈhaʊs.waɪf/
- /ˈhʌzwaɪf/ dialectal, obsolete, poetic
- /ˈhʌz(w)ɪf/ dialectal, obsolete, poetic
- /ˈhʌzɪf/
Where it comes from
From Middle English houswyf, housewif, huswijf, equivalent to house + wife; a doublet of hussy, which it was long distinguished from and displaced due to gradual negative connotation (see Online Etymology Dictionary entry). Cognate with West Frisian húswiif, Dutch huiswijf, German Low German Huuswief, German Hausweib.
noun housewives · housewifes · house-wife · houswife · huswife
-
A woman whose main employment is homemaking, maintaining the upkeep of her home and tending to household affairs; often, such a woman whose sole [unpaid] employment is homemaking.
2000, Uli Kusch, "Mr. Torture", Helloween, The Dark Ride
Mr Torture sells pain / To the housewives in Spain / He knows just what they crave / Mr Torture
Similar: henhussy
- The wife of a householder; the mistress of a family; the female head of a household.
-
A little case or bag for materials used in sewing, and for other articles of female work.
It was a housewife, containing needles, a bodkin, and thread; ‘and, do you know,’ added he, ‘it was the most useful thing she could have given me, for it lasted all the time I was at Rome to mend my clothes with […].’
Similar: hussy
- A worthless woman; a hussy.
verb housewifes · housewifing · housewifed · house-wife · houswife
- Alternative form of housewive Career opportunity […] is the one who never knocks — especially not on the doors of women, who are still hooking, housewifing and hairdressing for their livings.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: housekeeper, homemaker, hostess, woman, housekeeping, housework, wife, mistress, household, home, basket, matron, domestic, housemother, goodwife, caretaker
Translations
Every language
noun female head of household
| Español | ama de casa, mujer de su casa, mujer de gobierno (disused) |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 주부 jubu |
| 日本語 | 主婦 shufu |
| 中文 | 主婦 /主妇 zhǔfù, 家庭婦女 /家庭妇女 jiātíng fùnǚ, 家庭主婦 /家庭主妇 jiātíng zhǔfù |
| हिन्दी | गृहिणी gŕhiṇī, घरनी gharnī, घरवाली gharvālī |
| Português | dona de casa |
| Français | maîtresse de maison, femme au foyer, mère au foyer, garce |
| Deutsch | Hausfrau |
| Italiano | massaia, donna di casa, padrona di casa, casalinga |
| Ελληνικά | νοικοκυρά noikokyrá, οικοδέσποινα oikodéspoina |
| Română | gospodină, casnică |
| Русский | домохозя́йка domoxozjájka |
| Tiếng Việt | bà nội trợ |
| العربية | رَبَّة مَنْزِل rabbat manzil, رَبَّة بَيْت rabbat bayt, رَبَّة أُسْرَة rabbat ʔusra |
| עברית | עֲקֶרֶת בַּיִת akéret báyit |
noun case for materials used in sewing
| 中文 | 針線包 /针线包 zhēnxiànbāo, 縫紉袋 /缝纫袋 |
|---|---|
| Português | caixa de costura |
| Français | trousse de couture, boîte à ouvrage |
Talk about this word "housewife." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/housewife. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. housewife. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/housewife "housewife." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/housewife.Cite this
@misc{housewife_2026,
title = {housewife},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/housewife},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
