different between housewifely vs housewife

English

Etymology

From Middle English *houswyfely, *houswijfli, *houswiflich, suggested by houswifliche (adverb), equivalent to housewife +? -ly.

Adjective

housewifely (comparative more housewifely, superlative most housewifely)

1. Befitting a housewife.
   • c. 1550, Thomas Becon, The Flour of Godly Praiers, London: John Day, “A generalle prayer that all Men may walke in their vo[c]acion and callynge,”^[1]

     […] to make the yong women sobre minded, to loue their husbands to loue their children, to be discrete, chaste, housewifely, good and obediente vnto theyr owne husbands […]

   • 1676, Thomas Shadwell, The Virtuoso, London: Henry Herringman, Act I, p. 12,^[2]

     A wholesome good housewifely Countrey Wench is worth a thousand of you, in sadness.

   • 1719, Daniel Defoe, The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, London: W. Taylor, p. 191,^[3]

     […] as for the Maid, she was […] very handy and housewifely in any Thing that was before her; an excellent Manager, and fit indeed to have been Governess to the whole Island […]

   • 1886, Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge, London: Smith, Elder & Co., Volume 2, Chapter 18, p. 240,^[4]

     […] her stepfather […] waited on, looking into the fire and keeping the kettle boiling with housewifely care, as if it were an honour to have her in his house.

   • 1969, Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, New York: Bantam, 1971, Chapter 31, p. 207,^[5]

     […] I thought my father was mean and cruel. He had enjoyed his Mexican holiday, and still was unable to proffer a bit of kindness to the woman who had waited patiently, busying herself with housewifely duties.

See also

• huswifely

English

Etymology

From Middle English housewif, houswyf, huswijf, equivalent to house +? wife. Replaced earlier Middle English hussif (Modern English hussy), which is a doublet. Cognate literally with rare German Hausweib.

Pronunciation

Person

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?ha?s.wa?f/

Bag

• IPA^(key): /?h?z?f/

Noun

housewife (plural housewives or housewifes) (see notes below about plurals)

1. (plural "housewives") A woman whose main employment is homemaking, maintaining the upkeep of her home and tending to household affairs; often, such a woman whose sole [unpaid] employment is homemaking.

   Synonym: (archaic) henhussy

   Hypernym: homemaker

   Coordinate term: househusband

   • 2000, Uli Kusch, "Mr. Torture", Helloween, The Dark Ride

2. (plural "housewives") The wife of a householder; the mistress of a family; the female head of a household.
3. (plural "housewifes") A little case or bag for materials used in sewing, and for other articles of female work.

   Synonym: hussy

   • 1828, JT Smith, Nollekens and His Times, Century Hutchinson 1986, p. 246:

     It was a housewife, containing needles, a bodkin, and thread; ‘and, do you know,’ added he, ‘it was the most useful thing she could have given me, for it lasted all the time I was at Rome to mend my clothes with […] .’

   • 1852, Tom Taylor and Charles Reade, Masks and Faces Act II:

     Woffington's housewife, made by herself, homely to the eye, but holds everything in the world

   • 1997, David L. Phillips, A Soldier's Story, MetroBooks, ?ISBN, page 61.

Derived terms

• housewifedom
• housewifeish
• housewifelike
• housewifely
• housewifery
• housewifeship
• housewifization

Translations

Verb

housewife (third-person singular simple present housewifes, present participle housewifing, simple past and past participle housewifed)

1. Alternative form of housewive