Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A married woman who manages the household as her main occupation and whose spouse usually earns the family income.
- noun A small container for needles, thread, and other sewing equipment.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun 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.
- noun A case for pins, needles, thread, scissors, etc.: same as
hussy .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To manage with skill and economy, as a housewife or other female manager; to economize.
- noun The wife of a householder; the mistress of a family; the female head of a household.
- noun A little case or bag for materials used in sewing, and for other articles of female work; -- called also
hussy . - noun rare A hussy.
- noun a ditty-bag.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
wife of a householder; the mistress of a family; the female head of a household. - noun A little case or bag for materials used in sewing, and for other articles of female work; – called also
hussy . - verb Alternative form of
housewive .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a wife who manages a household while her husband earns the family income
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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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.
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It became very appealing for me to indulge what I call my housewife fantasy.
Morra Aarons-Mele: The Shifting Roles And Expectations For Men And Women Morra Aarons-Mele 2011
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It became very appealing for me to indulge what I call my housewife fantasy.
Morra Aarons-Mele: The Shifting Roles And Expectations For Men And Women Morra Aarons-Mele 2011
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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 Guardian World News Lucy Mangan 2011
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The word "housewife" is now just as likely to evoke extravagance, indulgence and freedom as it is domestic servitude.
NYT > Home Page By CARINA CHOCANO 2011
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At the time, the word "housewife" still carried the easy shock of the reclaimed pejorative.
NYT > Home Page By CARINA CHOCANO 2011
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"For me, the Twilight series has given me access to a fantasy world far from what I know as a housewife," she said.
NBC Chicago - 2010
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"For me, the Twilight series has given me access to a fantasy world far from what I know as a housewife," she said.
NBC Chicago - 2010
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A good housewife is always prepared! mojo repair shop
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Cory Aquino advertised herself as a "plain housewife" who took the audacious step to run for president only to win justice for Ninoy.
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The pouch containing darning wool and needles with which British soldiers were equipped in World War Two was called a housewife.
Susannah Clapp · At the V&A: ‘Bags: Inside Out’ · LRB 20 May 2021 Susannah Clapp 2021
madmouth commented on the word housewife
it's also a cookie
April 28, 2009
bilby commented on the word housewife
I'll stick with the Volim Te.
April 28, 2009
rolig commented on the word housewife
Are you voting (Slovene) or loving (Serbo-Bosno-Croatian), Bil?
April 29, 2009
bilby commented on the word housewife
I'm handing out chocolate. It's what bilbies do!
April 29, 2009
rolig commented on the word housewife
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.*
April 29, 2009
Telofy commented on the word housewife
Usually /ˈhʌzɪf/ for “a small container for needles, thread, and other sewing equipment.” (Sources: Heritage and Random House.)
September 22, 2010
ruzuzu commented on the word housewife
Cool, Telofy. Check out the Century Dictionary definition for hussy, too.
September 22, 2010
Telofy commented on the word housewife
Cool, ruzuzu. As a special treat it contained quean. Oh, my spell checker doesn’t know it. ^^
September 22, 2010