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wíf

  • noun [ neuter ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
wíf, es; n.
Wright's OE grammar
§126; §262; §293; §294; §343;
a
woman, a female person
Show examples

  • Wíf mulier, wíf ðe wer hæfð

    uxor,

      Wrt. Voc. i. 73, 12, 14.

  • Wíf ðe hæfð ceorl

    uxor,

      Ælfc. Gr. 9, 21; Zup. 47, 8.

  • Ald uuíf anus, Wrt. Voc. ii. 100, 38: i. 73, 17 : anula vel

    vetula,

      50, 48.

  • Ðæt wíf (

    mulier

    ) wæs gehǽled,
      Mt. Kmbl. 9, 22.

  • Gif hwylc wíf (mulier) hire wífman

    (ancillam suam)

    swingð,
      L. Ecg. P. ii. 4; Th. ii. 182, 32.

  • Cwén Hróðgáres, freólíc wíf,

      Beo. Th. 1234; B. 615.

  • Wídgongel wíf word gespringeþ,

      Exon. Th. 337, 15 ; Gn. Ex. 65.

  • Wæs sum wíf, seó (ðæt wíf ðió

    mulier quae,

      Lind.)
    hæfde untrumnesse gást, Lk. Skt. 13, 11.

  • Wæs sóna gearu wíf, swá hire weoruda helm beboden hæfde,

      Elen. Kmbl. 445 ; El. 223.

  • Sǽde ðæt wíf hire wordum selfa,

      Cd. Th. 160, 10; Gen. 2648.

  • Wífes sceós

    baxeae,

      Wrt. Voc. i. 26, 20.

  • Ðæt hi nágan mid rihte þurh hǽmedþing wífes gemánan,

      L. Eth. v. 9; Th. i. 306, 19.

  • For ðære synne ðæs ǽrestan wífes,

      Blickl. Homl. 5, 5.

  • Freá wíf áweahte, and ða wraðe scalde leófum rince,

      Cd. Th. 11. 12; Gen. 174.

  • Ðæt ædele wíf (

    Eve

    ),
      294, 19; Sat. 473.

  • Ðǽr wǽron manega wíf (wífo, Lind.,

    mulieres

    ),
      Mt. Kmbl. 27, 55 : Lk. Skt. 8, 2 : 24, 22.

  • Betwyx wífa bearnum

    inter natos mulierum,

      Mt. Kmbl. 11, 11.

  • Betuh eall wífa cynn,

      Blickl. Homl. 5, 21.

  • Ríccra(-æ, MS.) wífa (-e, MS.) wǽfels regillum vel peplum vel

    palla,

      Wrt. Voc. i. 40, 32.

  • Seó ǽrest wífa

    (feminarum)

    ís sǽd in Norþanhymbra mǽgþe ðæt heó munucháde onfénge,
      Bd. 4, 23 ; S. 593, 22.
a being in the form of a woman
Show examples

  • Wíf unhýre

    (Grendel's mother),

      Beo. Th. 4247; B. 2120.
  • Ðǽr ða mihtigan wíf hyra mægen berǽddon, and hý gyllende gáras sǽndan. Lchdm. iii. 52, 21.
a married woman, a wife
Show examples
  • His wíf sua uxor, Ælfc. Gr. 15; Zup. 104, 2. Cáseres wíf imperatrix vel Augusta,
      42, 10.
    Abram and Nachor wífudun; Abrames wíf hátte Sarai, and Nachores wíf Melcha, Gen. 11, 29: 16, 1: Cd. Th. 167, 30; Gen. 2773. Gúð sceal in eorle geweaxan, and wíf geþeón leóf (lof, MS.) mid hyre leódum, leóhtmód wesan, rúne healdan, rúmheort beón, Exon. Th. 338, 28; Gn. Ex. 85. Se man geþeót hine tó his wífe (uxori), Gen. 2, 24: Mt. Kmbl. 19, 5. Se cyning mid his wífe and twám sunum. Homl. Th. i. 468, 1. Æt his méder ðe wǽre tó ǽwum wífe forgifen his fæder, L. Alf. pol. 42 ; Th. i. 90, 29.
  • Ðe wíf hæfð uxoratus, Wrt. Voc. i.
      50, 44.
    .

  • Be ðon ðe mon wíf bycgge,

      L. In. 31; Th. i. 122, 3.

  • Wé lǽraþ ðæt ǽnig cristen mann . . . ne gewífie . . . on ðæs wífes nédmágan ðe hé sylf ǽr hæfde . . . hé ná má wífa ðonne án hæbbe, and dæt beó his beweddode wíf,

      L. C. E. 7; Th. i. 364, 21-28.

  • Wer mót his wífe on fulwihte onfón, and ðæt wíf ðam were,

      L. Ecg. C. 18, tit.; Th. ii. 128, 31.

  • Gif ceorl búton wífes wísdóm deóflum gelde . . . Gif bútwú deóflum geldaþ, sión hió healsfange scyldigo,

      L. Win. 12 ; Th. i. 40, 4.

  • Gif hwá stalie swá his wíf nyte and his bearn, geselle . lx. Sciłł. tó wíte. Gif hé stalie on gewitnesse ealles his hírédes, gongen hié ealle on þeówot,

      L. In. 7 ; Th. i. 106, 15.

  • Gif ceorl ceáp forstelð . . . ðonne bið se his dǽl synnig, bútan ðam wífe, forðon heó sceal hire ealdore hiéran,

      57; Th. i. 137, 17.

  • Ðæt ða (

    criminals

    ) ealle beón gearwe mid him silfum and mid wífe and mid ærfe tó farenne þider ic wille,
      L. Ath. iv. proem, ; Th. i. 220, 6.

  • Gif be cwicum ceorle wíf hig be óðrum were forlicge, and hit open weorðe . . . heó þolige nase and eárena . . . ,

      L. C. S. 54; Th. i. 406, 6.

  • Mon mót feohtan orwíge, gif hé geméteþ óðerne æt his ǽwum wífe,

      L. Alf. pol. 42 ; Th. i. 90, 26.

  • Gif frí man wið fríes mannes wíf geligeþ . . . ððer wíf (hé) his ágenum scætte begete and ðæm óðrum gebrenge,

      L. Ethb. 31; Th. i. 10, 7.

  • Gif ceorl ácwyle be libbendum wífe and bearne, riht is ðæt ðæt bearn médder folgige,

      L. H. E. 6; Th. i. 30, 3 : L. In. 38; Th. i. 126, 3.

  • Gif hwá cwydeleás of ðyssum lífe gewíte . . . beó be ðæs hláfordes dihte seó ǽht gescyft swýðe rihte wífe and cildan and néhmágon,

      L. C. S. 71; Th. i. 414, 1.

  • Ðǽr se bónda sæt uncwyd and unbecrafod, sitte ðæt wíf and ða cild on ðam ylcan unbesacen, 73 ; Th. i. 44, 23. IIIa. a. a woman who has been married and lost her husband (by death or divorce) :-- Láf vel forlǽten wíf

    derelicta,

      Wrt. Voc. i. 50, 46.

  • Wífian on nánre wuduwan, ne on forlǽtenum wífe,

      L. Ælf. P. 39; Th. ii. 380, 16.

  • Ǽlc man ðe his wíf forlǽt. . . se ðe ðæt forlǽtene wíf nimð, se unrihthǽmð,

      Lk. Skt. 16, 18.

  • Gif man mǽdan oþþe wíf (cf.

    the old Latin version:

    virginem vel viduam) weddian wille,
      L. Edm. B. 1; Th. i. 254, 2.

  • Ne nýde man náðer ne wíf ne mǽden tó ðam ðe hyre sylfre mislícige (cf. passages from the Laws under widuwe,

    and

      L. H. I. 1. 3;
  • Si, mortuo marito, uxor ejus remanserit, . . . eam non dabo marito, nisi secundum velle sunm, Th. i. 499, 15), L. C. S. 75 ; Th. i. 416, 20.
a female, v. wer,
Show examples

  • Ǽlcne mon, ge wíf ge wǽpned,

      Ors. 3, 6; Swt. 108, 27.

  • Ða forman twá, fæder and móder, wíf and wǽpned, Cd. Th. 12, 33; Gen. 195. IV a. as a grammatical term,

    feminine,

Etymology
[O. Sax. O. Frs. wíf: O. H. Ger. wíp : Icel. víf (poet.).]
Similar entries
v. wer, V a.
Linked entries
v.  BRÝD.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “wíf.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/35587.

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  • wíf, n.

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