Wife

noun, plural wives
[wahyvz] /waɪvz/ (Show IPA)
1.
a married woman, especially when considered in relation to her partner in marriage.
2.
a woman (archaic or dial., except in idioms):
old wives’ tale.
verb (used with or without object), wifed, wifing.
3.
Rare. wive.
Idioms
4.
take to wife, to marry (a particular woman):
He took an heiress to wife.
1.
a combining form of wife, now unproductive, occurring in compound words that in general designate traditional roles or occupations of women:
fishwife; goodwife; housewife; midwife.
noun (pl) wives (waɪvz)
1.
a man’s partner in marriage; a married woman related adjective uxorial
2.
an archaic or dialect word for woman
3.
take to wife, to marry (a woman)
wiener

The ordinance of marriage was sanctioned in Paradise (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:4-6). Monogamy was the original law under which man lived, but polygamy early commenced (Gen. 4:19), and continued to prevail all down through Jewish history. The law of Moses regulated but did not prohibit polygamy. A man might have a plurality of wives, but a wife could have only one husband. A wife’s legal rights (Ex. 21:10) and her duties (Prov. 31:10-31; 1 Tim. 5:14) are specified. She could be divorced in special cases (Deut. 22:13-21), but could not divorce her husband. Divorce was restricted by our Lord to the single case of adultery (Matt. 19:3-9). The duties of husbands and wives in their relations to each other are distinctly set forth in the New Testament (1 Cor. 7:2-5; Eph. 5:22-33; Col. 3:18, 19; 1 Pet. 3:1-7).

see under wives