A wife's a female spouse, or participant in a marriage. Origin and etymology The term originated from the Middle English wif, from Old English wīf, woman, wife, from Germanic * wībam, woman, related to Modern German Weib (woman, wife), from the Indo-European root ghwībh-; wīb, meaning veiled or clothed, referred to the wedding veils. The original meaning of “wife” as simply “woman”, unconnected with marriage,'s preserved in words like “midwife&#… (More on Wife)