wyfles

Middle English

Alternative forms

wiflees, wifles, wijfeles, wyflees, wyveles, wyyfles

Etymology

Either from Old English wīflēas or a new formation from wyf (“wife”) +‎ -les.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈwiːflɛːs/, /ˈwiːflɛs/

Adjective

wyfles (rare)

Wifeless; having no wife.
- 1470–1483 (date produced), Thom̃s Malleorre [i.e., Thomas Malory], “[Launcelot du Lake]”, in Le Morte Darthur (British Library Additional Manuscript 59678), [England: s.n.], folio 104, verso, lines 25–26:
  […] ye that ar a knyght wyveles · that ye woll nat love ſom mayden oþ̀[er] jantylwoman […]
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
(religion) Bound to celibacy.

Descendants

English: wifeless, wiveless
Yola: wooveless

References

“wīflē̆s, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.