Wife
A wife is a married woman. "Married" means that the law says two people are legally "joined". During the marriage ceremony, the wife is called the bride.
In countries and times it has been different how many wives a man can have legally. In old times there were no limitations in some countries. In Christianity and Judaism a husband (a married man) can have one wife (monogamy). In Islam a husband can have up to four wives (polygamy).
There are some names for special kinds of wives. For example, a queen is a wife of a king.
A man whose wife is deceased is called a widower.
Wife Media
The Merchant's Wife (1918) by Boris Kustodiev
A white gold wedding ring and a single-diamond, gold-banded engagement ring. In many cultures, wives show their marital status through various symbols.
A young bride at her nikah (Islamic wedding)
A traditional, formal presentation of the bride price at a Thai engagement ceremony.
Percentage of births to unmarried women, selected countries, 1980 and 2007.
16th-century Samurai Toyotomi Hideyoshi sitting with his wives and concubines.
King Solomon with 3 of his many wives. Illustrated in 1668 by Giovanni Venanzi di Pesaro. According to Biblical account, Solomon had an obsession with women and fell in love with many.
