husband

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See also: Husband

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English husbonde, housbonde, from Old English hūsbonda, hūsbunda (male head of a household, householder, master of a house), from Old Norse húsbóndi (master of house), from hús (house) + bóndi (dweller, householder), equivalent to house +‎ bond (serf, slave", originally, "dweller).

Bond in turn represents a formation derived from the present participle of West Scandinavian búa, East Scandinavian bôa = to build, plow; compare German bauen, der Bauende. Cognate with Icelandic húsbóndi (head of household), Faroese húsbóndi (husband), Norwegian husbond (head of household, husband), Swedish husbonde (master), Danish husbond (husband) (< Old Danish husbonde).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈhʌz.bənd/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Audio (UK):(file)
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

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husband (plural husbands)

  1. A man in a marriage or marital relationship, especially in relation to his spouse.
    Synonym: (endearing) hubby
    You should start dating so you can find a suitable husband.
  2. (UK) A manager of property; one who has the care of another's belongings, owndom, or interests; a steward; an economist.
  3. (archaic) A prudent or frugal manager.
    • 1645, Thomas Fuller, Good Thoughts in Bad Times, Occasional Meditations: V:
      God knows how little time is left me, and may I be a good husband, to improve the short remnant thereof.
    • 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, [], London: [] W[illiam] Taylor [], →OCLC, pages 273–274:
      [S]o I went and fetch’d a good Dram of Rum, and gave him; for I had been ſo good a Husband of my Rum, that I had a great deal left: When he had drank it, I made him take the two Fowling-Pieces, which we always carry’d, and load them with large Swan-Shot, as big as ſmall Piſtol Bullets; then I took four Muſkets, and loaded them with two Slugs, and five ſmall Bullets each; and my two Piſtols I loaded with a Brace of Bullets each; I hung my great Sword as uſual, naked by my Side, and gave Friday his Hatchet.
  4. (somewhat dated) The master of a house; the head of a family; a householder.
  5. A tiller of the ground; a husbandman.
  6. The male of a pair of animals.
  7. A large cushion with arms meant to support a person in the sitting position; a husband pillow.
    While reading her book, Sally leaned back against her husband, wishing it were the human kind.
  8. (UK dialectal) A polled tree; a pollard.

Synonyms

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Hypernyms

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Coordinate terms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Chinese: 黑漆板凳 (hēiqī bǎndèng) (obsolete)
  • Japanese: ハズバンド (hazubando)

Translations

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Verb

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husband (third-person singular simple present husbands, present participle husbanding, simple past and past participle husbanded)

  1. (transitive) To manage or administer carefully and frugally; use to the best advantage; economise.
  2. (transitive) To conserve.
    • 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
      ...I found pens, ink, and paper, and I husbanded them to the utmost; and I shall show that while my ink lasted, I kept things very exact, but after that was gone I could not, for I could not make any ink by any means that I could devise.
  3. (transitive, obsolete) To till; cultivate; farm; nurture.
  4. (transitive, archaic) To provide with a husband.
  5. (transitive) To engage or act as a husband to; assume the care of or responsibility for; accept as one's own.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Middle English

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Noun

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husband (plural husbands)

  1. Alternative form of husbonde

Swedish

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Etymology

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hus (house) +‎ band (band)

Noun

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husband n

  1. a group of musicians who regularly play live in a TV show

Declension

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