uxorious

duckbill Towards his queen he was nothing uxorious, nor scarce indulgent; but companionable and respective. Bacon.

That uxorious king, whose heart, though large,
Beguil’d by fair idolatresses, fell
To idols foul. Milton’s Paradise Lost.

How would’st thou insult,
When I must live uxorious to thy will
In perfect thraldom, how again betray me? Milton. Apr 19, 2011

chelster "Maritorious," formed from Latin "maritus," husband, is indeed a word (albeit obsolete); it means excessively fond of one's husband. It's listed in the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary and the second edition of Webster's New International Dictionary. Apr 21, 2010

chained_bear Logos, it was a joke. Aug 15, 2008

super-logos I remember having to decline this word in Latin class as a child. Uxor means wife. And Latin does not suck! How can you be a wordie and not love Latin? People suck, not languages. Aug 15, 2008

singlepayernow that is pretty phunny! lol. i thought you were someone else who was going to point that out, but it turns out you caught your own mistake. or two interpretations at least. Dec 7, 2007

sionnach oh, snicker all you want! You know what I meant. The children were not being sent down the mines in search of legal guidance. Nov 30, 2007

sionnach Responding to Ecrivaine33's original question, the word uxorious does apply to husbands, as it implies excessive devotion to one's wife.

One might speculate that no corresponding word exists to describe the condition of a wife's excessive devotion to her husband, because back in the days when people used such high-falutin' latinate terms, this type of devotion was expected from all women. Somewhat analogous to lesbian acts never having been illegal in England, because the sodomy laws were instituted in Victorian times and the Queen simply could not imagine* intimate sexual acts between two women, making it unnecessary to criminalize such behavior.

* of course, this implies the existence of behavior so unconscionably depraved it's legal. But then, maybe we should not look to a society which sent children down the coalmines for legal guidance.

Nov 30, 2007

singlepayernow equality? when did that happen? Nov 30, 2007

chained_bear Usage note:
1835 DICKENS Sk. Boz, Mr. Watkins Tottle i, "A rather uncommon compound of strong uxorious inclinations, and an unparalleled degree of anti-connubial timidity." Oct 8, 2007

uselessness Don't look at me, it's Latin that sux. ;-) Oct 8, 2007

chained_bear Mistake--it's Latin for "wife." Oct 8, 2007

reesetee Ex-ux? That sux. Oct 8, 2007

uselessness It's sometimes used in legal terminology, as in "John Smith et ux." similar to "et al." or "etc." If John Smith gets divorced, her title become ex-ux. Oct 8, 2007

chained_bear That's because uxor is Latin for "consort" or companion. (I think.) I'm basing this solely on the dark, cobwebbed recesses of my brain, in which "uxor" meant "the wife of" in medieval portraits of the kings of England. E.g. "Elizabeth Uxor Edwardus." Oct 8, 2007

oroboros Henpecked, "not wearing the pants in the family". Just saw a crossword puzzle clue: "caesar's wife" which worked out to "uxor". Oct 8, 2007

ichthyos It doesn't seem like there is, but you could use the same etymology to come up with maritorious.

Source: http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutwords/uxorious Jan 18, 2007

singlepayernow i have a feeling this is going to describe me if i ever get married Jan 18, 2007

ecrivaine33 Hmmmm, I just heard this word for the first time yesterday - got it on my Word-A-Day email from one of those sites.

Is there maybe a word to describe the male gender, the husband, as well? That was what I wondered when I read it, us being in this day and age of equality and all : )

http://people.tribe.net/ecrivaine32/blog/f600fa12-bd27-42c0-b987-373c089d04e4 Jan 10, 2007