co-wife
/ˈkoʊ.waɪf/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.92 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
In a polygamous marriage, another wife of a woman’s husband.
Example Sentences
- "If a co-wife had sought the lives of those three of thine."
- "In fact, [Ayesha] was more jealous of Khadija, the dead wife, than she was of any of her living co-wives."
- "If the senior wife decides to make life unbearable for her co-wife and their husband, she is likely to succeed in forcing the newcomer to leave."
- "In other words, polygamous societies differ markedly with regards to allowing kin, especially sisters, to become co-wives. Sororal polygamy is practised in some societies because it is believed to foster greater cohesiveness among co-wives sharing values and norms, whereas it is specifically forbidden in other polygamous societies."
Etymology
From co- + wife.
Word Breakdown
- Prefix: co
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkoʊ.waɪf/
- British English: /ˈkəʊ.waɪf/