Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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noun
A girl or young woman, especially a buxom or lively one.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, dialectal, humorous, offensive, possibly
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A girl or young woman, especially a buxom or lively one.
A girl or young woman of a lower class.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, dialectal, humorous, offensive, possibly, specifically
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Used as a term of endearment for a female person, especially a wife, daughter, or girlfriend: darling, sweetheart.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, dialectal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A woman servant; a maidservant.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A promiscuous woman; a mistress (“other woman in an extramarital relationship”).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: NB: All terms are usually pejorative unless stated otherwise., 304, alley cat, alleycat, amorette, amoret, amorosa, article, Athanasian wench, blowsabella, bop, chippy, cocotte, cockatrice, cockslut, cockwhore, crumpet, cum dumpster, cum guzzler, cumhole, cumslut, cumwhore, Cyprian, demimondaine, doxy, drab, eager beaver, Essex girl, flirt-gill, floogy, floosie, floosy, floozie, floozy, fornicator, fornicatour, fornicatress, fornicatrix, fuckstress, Fulham virgin, geebag, giglot, gillian, gill, good-time girl, grim, grisette, harlot, ho bag, ho-bag, hoe bag, hoe-bag, hoe, hoochie mama, hoochie, hood rat, ho, hussy, jade, jay, jillflirt, lady of light virtue, LBFM, light-o'-love, light-of-love, lightskirt, little brown fucking machine, loose woman, lorette, mab, manizer, minx, moll, mort wap-apace, nymphomaniac, painted Jezebel, puta, puzzel, quean, Quicumque vult, quiff, rig, scag, scrubber, skank, skettle, sket, skit, slag, slapper, slattern, sloven, slutbag, slut, stale, streel, strumpet, sweet cheeks, tartlet, tart, thotty, thot, town bicycle, town bike, tramp, treddle, trollop, trull, village bicycle, village bike, wagon, waistcoateer, wanton, wench, whore, bit on the side, concubine, dulcinea, goomah, leman, loon, mistress, number two, side bitch, side chick, side piece, side ting, sprunk, wifelet
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A prostitute.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A black woman (of any age), especially if in a condition of servitude.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, archaic, historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: negress
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To frequent prostitutes; to whore; also, to womanize.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, humorous, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To act as a wench.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
informal terms for a (young) woman
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: dame, doll, skirt, chick, bird
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: girl, miss, missy, young lady, young woman, fille
verb
frequent prostitutes
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: fornicate
History
The noun is derived from Middle English wench, wenche (“female baby; girl (especially unmarried); maiden, young woman; bondwoman; serving maid; beloved, sweetheart; concubine, mistress; harlot, prostitute”) [and other forms], a shortened form of Middle English wenchel (“girl; maiden; child”), from Old English wenċel, winċel (“child; servant; slave”), from Proto-Germanic *wankilą, from Proto-Germanic *wankijaną (“to sway; waver”). The English word is cognate with Old High German wenken (“to waver; to give way, yield”), wankōn (“to totter”). The verb is derived from the noun.
Across languages
104 source translations are retained for this English entry.
