wife-in-law

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wife-in-law

/ˌwaɪf ɪn ˈlɔː/
/ˈwaɪfɪnlɔː/

Where it comes from

From wife + -in-law.

noun wives-in-law

A wife in law only, such as one who has abandoned her husband
Similar: co-wife, sister-wife
A wife who provides domestic or social support, but not love or affection
Another wife of one's husband. Typically used in cases of divorce and subsequent remarriage for one's husband's ex-wife, but sometimes used in polygamy for a co-wife. Instead she arranges, offhand, a nice little farewell dinner for her husband that was and the lady, Flora, who is to be her successor three months hence. […] Flora is generously constrained to leave the sometime-husband and wife to talk the matter over. "Are we not wives-in-law?" says Madame. And th

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MLA

"wife-in-law." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/wife-in-law. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

wife-in-law. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/wife-in-law

Chicago

"wife-in-law." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/wife-in-law.

BibTeX

@misc{wife_in_law_2026,
  title = {wife-in-law},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/wife-in-law},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}