housewife etymology

Etymology:

  • "House" (OE *hūs) + "wife" (OE *wīf)

Meaning:

A woman whose primary occupation is managing a household and taking care of her family.

Origin:

The term "housewife" has been used in English since the 13th century. It originally referred to a woman who managed a household, regardless of her marital status. In the 16th century, the meaning narrowed to refer specifically to a married woman who stayed at home to care for her husband and children.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the term "housewife" became associated with the ideal of the suburban, middle-class homemaker who devoted her life to domestic tasks. However, in recent decades, the term has taken on a more negative connotation, suggesting a lack of education, social status, or career ambition.

As a result, many women now prefer terms such as "stay-at-home mom" or "domestic engineer" to describe their role in the household.

housewife relate terms

  • house

    Etymology The word house has an Indo European root h₁eu̯s This root also gave r

  • hide

  • husband

    Etymology The word husband comes from the Old Norse word húsbondi which is compose

  • house

    Etymology The word house has an Indo European root h₁eu̯s This root also gave r

  • bond

    Etymology The word bond derives from the Old English word band which meant a tie o

  • wife

    Etymology Old English wīf meaning woman as opposed to husband meaning man

  • werewolf

    Etymology Werewolf is a compound word derived from two Old English words were man o

  • wife

    Etymology Old English wīf meaning woman as opposed to husband meaning man

  • cotquean

    Etymology The word cotquean comes from the Middle English word cotequeen which is a

  • meat

    Etymology The word meat comes from the Old English word mete which means food or

  • lady

    Etymology The word lady has its origins in the Old English word hlǣfdige which mea

  • woman

    Etymology The word woman comes from the Middle English word womman which in turn com

  • surmise

    Etymology Old French surmiser Late Latin supermisare to think over Latin supe

  • disheveled

    Etymology Disheveled is derived from the following linguistic elements dis pre

  • pyramid

    Etymology The word pyramid comes from the ancient Greek word pyramis which means fi