old wives' tale
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old wives' tale
- /ɔld ˈwaɪvz teɪl/ Canada, US
Where it comes from
In this context, the word “wives” means “women” and not “married women,” retaining the original sense of Old English wīf, which meant “woman” as well as “wife”. The phrase could be a reformation of Old English ealdra cwēna spell or a calque of Latin anīlis fābula, both literally “old women’s story.”
noun old wives' tales
- A supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth
-
A rumour, myth, or superstition; something which is almost certainly untrue, despite acceptance by many.
According to the old wives' tales that are related about this race of genii who inhabit Iceland and its vicinity, they have a political form of government modelled after the same pattern as that which the inhabitants themselves are under.
Similar: anility
Translations
Every language
noun supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth
| 中文 | 迷信的說法 /迷信的说法 míxìn de shuōfǎ |
|---|---|
| Français | conte de bonne femme |
noun rumour, myth or superstition
| 中文 | 迷信的說法 /迷信的说法 míxìn de shuōfǎ |
|---|---|
| Français | mythe, conte de bonne femme |
| Deutsch | Ammenmärchen |
| Русский | бабьи сказки babʹi skazki |
| עברית | סִפּוּרֵי סָבְתָא sippuréy savtá |
Talk about this word "old wives' tale." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/old%20wives'%20tale. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. old wives' tale. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/old%20wives'%20tale "old wives' tale." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/old%20wives'%20tale.Cite this
@misc{old_wives_tale_2026,
title = {old wives' tale},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/old%20wives'%20tale},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
