Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A woman who manages her own household as her main occupation.
- n. A small container for needles, thread, and other sewing equipment.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The mistress of a family; the wife of a householder; a female manager of domestic affairs.
- To manage like a housewife, or with skill and thrift; economize.
- n. A case for pins, needles, thread, scissors, etc.: same as hussy.
Wiktionary
- n. The wife of a householder; the mistress of a family; the female head of a household.
- n. A little case or bag for materials used in sewing, and for other articles of female work; – called also term.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The wife of a householder; the mistress of a family; the female head of a household.
- n. A little case or bag for materials used in sewing, and for other articles of female work; -- called also
hussy . - n. A hussy.
- v. To manage with skill and economy, as a housewife or other female manager; to economize.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a wife who manages a household while her husband earns the family income
Etymologies
- Middle English houswif : hous, house; see house + wife, wife; see wife.
Examples
“I just found this interesting commentary on Alertnet taking about the "Housewife theory on History," and looks at some of the political moves women have made, using the label housewife to strategically get places and say things that would not otherwise have been heard.”
“It became very appealing for me to indulge what I call my housewife fantasy.”
The Huffington Post: Morra Aarons-Mele: The Shifting Roles And Expectations For Men And Women
“A survey this week by Mothercare has revealed that she has turned against the title "housewife" with two-thirds of those questioned saying they prefer to be known as "stay-at-home mums".”
“The word "housewife" is now just as likely to evoke extravagance, indulgence and freedom as it is domestic servitude.”
“At the time, the word "housewife" still carried the easy shock of the reclaimed pejorative.”
“For me, the Twilight series has given me access to a fantasy world far from what I know as a housewife," she said.”
“A good housewife is always prepared! mojo repair shop”
“Cory Aquino advertised herself as a "plain housewife" who took the audacious step to run for president only to win justice for Ninoy.”
“Perhaps the intellectual housewife is happy to raise her two biological children only because she is on strike from indoctrinating everyone else's children.”
Assumptions of Linda's Hirshman's Get to Work and Also Some Questions
“In 1964, her quiet life as a New York housewife is turned upside down when she is exposed by Simon Wiesenthal.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘housewife’.
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The Request Line
This is the place to add words you'd like Charles Harrington Elster to pronounce for you!
swingeing, affiant, dahlia, hydrangea, re, clematis, Nabokov, casu marzu, schadenfreudgeon, nefarious, mewl, manteion and 170 more...
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occupations
actor, actress, archaelogist, soldier, cook, lawyer, gardener, grocr, bank official, barman, barmaid, baber and 50 more...
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Cookie Monster
Please list your favourite cookie! May I suggest you leave out the generic bit unless it's absolutely essential, eg. list chocolate-chip rather than chocolate-chip cookie. On the other hand, bran...
wagon wheel, snickerdoodle, nuß-ecken, thin mint, lebkuchen, jammy dodger, charleston square, chocolate kimberley, whoopie pie, pufferdoodle, pfeffernüsse, chocolate crinkle and 9 more...
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Wives
alewife, fishwife, midwife, kalewife, goodwife, housewife, oldwife, old wives' tale, wife, wives, husband and wife, man and wife and 16 more...
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words to remember
words to know and remember and incorporate into speaking
Telofy Cool, ruzuzu. As a special treat it contained quean. Oh, my spell checker doesn’t know it. ^^ Sep 22, 2010
ruzuzu Cool, Telofy. Check out the Century Dictionary definition for hussy, too. Sep 22, 2010
Telofy Usually /ˈhʌzɪf/ for “[a] small container for needles, thread, and other sewing equipment.” (Sources: Heritage and Random House.) Sep 22, 2010
rolig That's sweet. We love you, too, Bilby. And in Slovenia we would vote for you.
*relieved that the chocolate is being handed out and not, um, dispensed.* Apr 29, 2009
bilby I'm handing out chocolate. It's what bilbies do! Apr 29, 2009
rolig Are you voting (Slovene) or loving (Serbo-Bosno-Croatian), Bil? Apr 28, 2009
bilby I'll stick with the Volim Te. Apr 28, 2009
madmouth it's also a cookie Apr 28, 2009