Wife: Difference between revisions
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m three people requested this page, i'd say you are required to give arguments |
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#REDIRECT [[Marriage]] |
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A '''wife''' is the female [[spouse]] in a [[marriage]]. Compare [[husband]]. |
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==Origin and Etymology== |
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Middle English wif, from Old English ghwībh, from Old English wīf, woman, from Germanic *wbam, woman, related to German ''Weib'' (obsolete).<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/61/14/W0151400.html American Heritage Dictionary on "wife"]</ref> |
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==Role in a marriage== |
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:''For the article on marriage, see [[Marriage]].'' |
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:''For the development of women in their position in society, see [[woman]].'' |
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A marriage might take many forms, like [[polygamy]], though the role of a woman as a female spouse is destined (or at least might be influenced) by her ability to bear [[children]]. |
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===Europe=== |
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The European Christian tradition is dominated by the preference of [[monogamy]]. |
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In the [[Middle Ages]] and [[Early Modern]] European history, it was unusual to marry out of love, though it became an ideal in literature. Women were not expected to have any property: they only were given a [[dowry]] by their [[parent]]s to give her husband, and [[inheritance|inherited]] only if there were no male [[offspring]]s. Unable to procure for herself, she was forced to submit to the husband chosen to avoid problems ([[prostitution]], or a criminal carreer) or to buy access into a [[cloister]] as a [[nun]], also called a "wife to Jesus". |
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===Other Regions=== |
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==Sources== |
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<references/> |
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[[de:Ehefrau]] |
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[[fr:femme]] |
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Revision as of 23:14, 12 February 2007
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