wive

verb

wived; wiving

intransitive verb

: to marry a woman

transitive verb

1
: to marry to a woman
2
: to take for a wife

Examples of wive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And on the scene arrives the proud Petruchio, who vows to wive it wealthily in Padua — even though Cole Porter won't compose those lyrics for another 400 years. Tom Titus, latimes.com, 5 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English wīfian, from wīf woman, wife

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of wive was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near wive

Cite this Entry

“Wive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wive. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.

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