wifelet

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English

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WOTD – 16 September 2020

Etymology

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From wife +‎ -let (diminutive suffix). Sense 3 (“long-term girlfriend; mistress”) is said to have been coined in the 1960s by Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath (1932–2020) in reference to his numerous mistresses.[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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wifelet (plural wifelets)

  1. (colloquial, endearing) A wife.
    Synonyms: wifekin, wifeling, (obsolete) wifelkin, wifie
    • 1857 June, “Miss Caley”, in Putnam’s Monthly Magazine of American Literature, Science, and Art, volume IX, number LIV, New York, N.Y.: Miller & Company, […]; London: Sampson Low, Son & Co., →OCLC, page 586, column 1:
      Annie, wifelet, let me tell you of one of my foreign flirtations—one that I have never yet even hinted to you.
    • 1857, J[ames] J[ohn] G[arth] W[ilkinson], “The Fairy Veils”, in Improvisations from the Spirit, London: W. White, […]; Manchester: Dunnill and Palmer, →OCLC, pages 219 and 220:
      The third of veils again,— / So telleth Little Love,— / Is private in its skein, / For her exactest fane, / And for her special dove. / [...] / ’Tis made of wax of bees, / Of fairy wax, fay bees, / And in its charmful frieze, / Letteth no public breeze / Canvass the wifelet’s glees.
    • 1876, William Wolfe Capes, quoting Epictetus (translated), “The Literary Currents of the Age”, in The Roman Empire of the Second Century: Or The Age of the Antonines (Epochs of Ancient History), London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 174:
      As on a journey, when the ship is lying at anchor, thou mayest land to take in water, and gather shells and the like upon the shore, but must keep the vessel still in view, and when the steersman beckons, must leave all else at once to come on board; so, too, in life's pilgrimage, if wifelet or little one be given thee for a while, it may be well, but see to it that thou art ready, when the pilot calls, to go at once, and turn not to look back.
    • 1906, Flora Annie Steel, chapter XXVI, in A Sovereign Remedy, London: William Heinemann, →OCLC, page 318:
      'You are most awfully fetching to-night—you look so jolly mysterious somehow,' he said joyously, putting his cheek against hers. 'Give me a kiss, wifelet.' She gave him one. She would have given him a dozen of the trivial things had he asked for them! Then she laid her hand on his.
    • 1962 December, Edward Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?: A Play, New York, N.Y.: Atheneum Publishers, →OCLC; Pocket Cardinal edition, New York, N.Y.: Pocket Books, March 1968 (13th printing), →OCLC, Act 3 (The Exorcism), page 212:
      Well, speak to your little wifelet, your little bunny, for God's sake.
    • 1990, Miranda Seymour, The Reluctant Devil: A Cautionary Tale, London: Heinemann, →ISBN; republished London: Mandarin, 1991, →ISBN, page 90:
      'My own little wifelet.' Harriet hung her head. 'Why not Sally-Anne? Why me?' Why indeed, he wondered, looking at the big blonde child who fate had proclaimed should be Mrs Grenderlyn?
    • 2006, Hester Browne, chapter 5, in The Little Lady Agency, New York, N.Y.: Pocket Books, →ISBN, page 53:
      I mean, who are you holding up as an example of marital bliss? Mummy, the unpaid housekeeper? Allegra, the largely ignored trophy wifelet?
    • 2015, Francis H. Powell, “Body Parts”, in Doris Chu, Daniel S. Janik, editors, Flight of Destiny, Honolulu, Hi.: Savant Books and Publications, →ISBN, page 273:
      [T]he new wifelets [androids] couldn't enjoy the taste of food, despite being programmed to be perfect cooks. The wifelets were nonetheless programmed to comment about the food they cooked. While "eating" with their owner, they would occasionally pause and say reflectively, "Perhaps I should have put in a bit more salt," or, "I might have overdone the potatoes just a little." Of course this was never true, but it added to the authenticity of a meal.
  2. (informal, by extension) A wife who is of small stature.
  3. (informal, by extension) A long-term girlfriend; a mistress (the “other woman” in an extramarital relationship). [from 1960s]
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:mistress
    • 2007 March 30, Petronella Wyatt, “The Marquess of Bath – on the prowl for ‘wifelet 76’”, in Daily Mail‎[1], London: DMG Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 4 April 2016:
      The Marquess [Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath], now 74, who is best known for his remarkably unorthodox dress sense, his pornographic murals and his series of wifelets, is fixing me with a priapic eye while slurping wine from a beer glass. "I need some more," he declares loudly. "Wine?" I inquire. "No, wifelets, of course."
    • 2011 June 11, Sara Dixon, “Police called over love-tussle for the Loins of Longleat”, in Hugh Whittow, editor, Daily Express‎[2], London: Express Newspapers, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 September 2015:
      The multi-millionaire [Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath] named his numerous girlfriends wifelets when he embarked on his "polyamorous" lifestyle shortly after marrying in 1969. [...] The trouble between two of the women erupted on Sunday night as a fight broke out in his Wiltshire stately home, Longleat – famed for its safari park lions. As the wifelets fought for his affections Lord Bath retired to his bedroom, which is decorated with murals inspired by the Kama Sutra, the Indian sex manual.
    • 2013, Richard Guise, “Stage 6: Prohibited Activities”, in A Wiggly Way through England, [s.l.]: Richard Guise, →ISBN, page 71:
      The polyamorous lifestyle of Alexander Thynn, the 7th Marquess, has been scarcely concealed by the Marquess himself and well documented in the press, who had sunk their teeth into the latest episode just weeks before this ride. The nose of a well-proportioned lady with the remarkably appropriate name of Trudi Juggernauth-Sharma, believed to be wifelet number 68, allegedly came into close physical contact with the fist of Amanda Doyle, an Irish singer and also a wifelet (sequential number unknown), after an exchange of words about the prospects of Mr Thynn, 79 at the time, fathering a child with Ms Doyle.
    • 2016 June 2, Alice Vincent, “We hope to move Glastonbury to Longleat by 2019, says Michael Eavis”, in Chris Evans, editor, The Daily Telegraph‎[3], London: Telegraph Media Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 July 2019:
      Now 83, he [Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath] has a fortune of more than £150 million and famously lives on the estate with several girlfriends who he refers to as ‘wifelets’.

Translations

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References

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  1. ^ “wifelet, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2016; “wifelet, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
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