See old wives' tale on Wiktionary
{ "etymology_templates": [ { "args": { "1": "ang", "2": "wīf" }, "expansion": "Old English wīf", "name": "cog" }, { "args": { "1": "ang", "2": "ealdra cwēna spell" }, "expansion": "Old English ealdra cwēna spell", "name": "cog" }, { "args": { "1": "la", "2": "anīlis fābula" }, "expansion": "Latin anīlis fābula", "name": "ncog" } ], "etymology_text": "In this context, the word “wives” means “women” and not “married women,” retaining the original sense of Old English wīf, which meant “woman” as well as “wife”. The phrase could be a reformation of Old English ealdra cwēna spell or a calque of Latin anīlis fābula, both literally “old women’s story.”", "forms": [ { "form": "old wives' tales", "tags": [ "plural" ] } ], "head_templates": [ { "args": { "head": "old wives' tale" }, "expansion": "old wives' tale (plural old wives' tales)", "name": "en-noun" } ], "lang": "English", "lang_code": "en", "pos": "noun", "senses": [ { "categories": [ { "_dis": "66 34", "kind": "other", "name": "English entries with incorrect language header", "parents": [ "Entries with incorrect language header", "Entry maintenance" ], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "73 27", "kind": "other", "name": "Entries with translation boxes", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "76 24", "kind": "other", "name": "Pages with 1 entry", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "78 22", "kind": "other", "name": "Pages with entries", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "72 28", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Basque translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "79 21", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Danish translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "71 29", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Dutch translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "72 28", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Finnish translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "72 28", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with French translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "72 28", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with German translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "63 37", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Hebrew translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "74 26", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Latin translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "66 34", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Macedonian translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "66 34", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "72 28", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Norwegian translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "56 44", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Old English translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "74 26", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Russian translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "73 27", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Swedish translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" }, { "_dis": "64 36", "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Yiddish translations", "parents": [], "source": "w+disamb" } ], "glosses": [ "A supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth" ], "id": "en-old_wives'_tale-en-noun-LUHHrzYf", "links": [ [ "truth", "truth" ], [ "word of mouth", "word of mouth" ] ], "translations": [ { "_dis1": "98 2", "code": "cmn", "lang": "Chinese Mandarin", "roman": "míxìn de shuōfǎ", "sense": "supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth", "word": "迷信的說法 /迷信的说法" }, { "_dis1": "98 2", "code": "fi", "lang": "Finnish", "sense": "supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth", "word": "huhupuhe" }, { "_dis1": "98 2", "code": "fi", "lang": "Finnish", "sense": "supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth", "word": "akkojen puhe" }, { "_dis1": "98 2", "code": "la", "lang": "Latin", "sense": "supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth", "tags": [ "feminine" ], "word": "anīlis fābula" }, { "_dis1": "98 2", "code": "la", "lang": "Latin", "sense": "supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth", "tags": [ "feminine" ], "word": "ava" }, { "_dis1": "98 2", "code": "mk", "lang": "Macedonian", "roman": "babina devetina", "sense": "supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth", "word": "бабина деветина" } ] }, { "categories": [ { "_dis": "14 86", "kind": "topical", "langcode": "en", "name": "Folklore", "orig": "en:Folklore", "parents": [ "Culture", "Society", "All topics", "Fundamental" ], "source": "w+disamb" } ], "examples": [ { "ref": "1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 253:", "text": "According to the old wives' tales that are related about this race of genii who inhabit Iceland and its vicinity, they have a political form of government modelled after the same pattern as that which the inhabitants themselves are under.", "type": "quote" } ], "glosses": [ "A rumour, myth or superstition; something which is almost certainly untrue, despite acceptance by many." ], "id": "en-old_wives'_tale-en-noun-N7ejvS5U", "links": [ [ "rumour", "rumour" ], [ "myth", "myth" ], [ "superstition", "superstition" ], [ "almost", "almost" ], [ "certainly", "certainly" ], [ "untrue", "untrue" ] ], "related": [ { "_dis1": "25 75", "word": "old wife" }, { "_dis1": "25 75", "word": "urban legend" }, { "_dis1": "25 75", "word": "urban myth" } ], "synonyms": [ { "word": "anility" } ], "translations": [ { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "eu", "lang": "Basque", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "atsokeria" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "eu", "lang": "Basque", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "atso-ipuin" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "cmn", "lang": "Chinese Mandarin", "roman": "míxìn de shuōfǎ", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "迷信的說法 /迷信的说法" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "da", "lang": "Danish", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "common-gender" ], "word": "ammestuehistorie" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "nl", "lang": "Dutch", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "neuter" ], "word": "bakerpraatje" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "fi", "lang": "Finnish", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "harhaluulo" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "fi", "lang": "Finnish", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "akkojen puhe" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "fr", "lang": "French", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "masculine" ], "word": "mythe" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "de", "lang": "German", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "neuter" ], "word": "Ammenmärchen" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "he", "lang": "Hebrew", "roman": "sippuréy savtá", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "masculine", "plural" ], "word": "סִפּוּרֵי סָבְתָא" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "no", "lang": "Norwegian", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "kjerringsnakk" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "ang", "lang": "Old English", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "neuter" ], "word": "ealdra cwēna spell" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "ru", "lang": "Russian", "roman": "babʹi skazki", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "бабьи сказки" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "sv", "lang": "Swedish", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "common-gender" ], "word": "amsaga" }, { "_dis1": "2 98", "code": "yi", "lang": "Yiddish", "roman": "bobe-mayse", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "feminine" ], "word": "באָבע־מעשׂה" } ] } ], "wikipedia": [ "old wives' tale" ], "word": "old wives' tale" }
{ "categories": [ "English countable nouns", "English entries with incorrect language header", "English lemmas", "English multiword terms", "English nouns", "Entries with translation boxes", "Pages with 1 entry", "Pages with entries", "Requests for audio pronunciation in English entries", "Requests for pronunciation in English entries", "Terms with Basque translations", "Terms with Danish translations", "Terms with Dutch translations", "Terms with Finnish translations", "Terms with French translations", "Terms with German translations", "Terms with Hebrew translations", "Terms with Latin translations", "Terms with Macedonian translations", "Terms with Mandarin translations", "Terms with Norwegian translations", "Terms with Old English translations", "Terms with Russian translations", "Terms with Swedish translations", "Terms with Yiddish translations", "en:Folklore" ], "etymology_templates": [ { "args": { "1": "ang", "2": "wīf" }, "expansion": "Old English wīf", "name": "cog" }, { "args": { "1": "ang", "2": "ealdra cwēna spell" }, "expansion": "Old English ealdra cwēna spell", "name": "cog" }, { "args": { "1": "la", "2": "anīlis fābula" }, "expansion": "Latin anīlis fābula", "name": "ncog" } ], "etymology_text": "In this context, the word “wives” means “women” and not “married women,” retaining the original sense of Old English wīf, which meant “woman” as well as “wife”. The phrase could be a reformation of Old English ealdra cwēna spell or a calque of Latin anīlis fābula, both literally “old women’s story.”", "forms": [ { "form": "old wives' tales", "tags": [ "plural" ] } ], "head_templates": [ { "args": { "head": "old wives' tale" }, "expansion": "old wives' tale (plural old wives' tales)", "name": "en-noun" } ], "lang": "English", "lang_code": "en", "pos": "noun", "related": [ { "word": "old wife" }, { "word": "urban legend" }, { "word": "urban myth" } ], "senses": [ { "glosses": [ "A supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth" ], "links": [ [ "truth", "truth" ], [ "word of mouth", "word of mouth" ] ] }, { "categories": [ "English terms with quotations" ], "examples": [ { "ref": "1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 253:", "text": "According to the old wives' tales that are related about this race of genii who inhabit Iceland and its vicinity, they have a political form of government modelled after the same pattern as that which the inhabitants themselves are under.", "type": "quote" } ], "glosses": [ "A rumour, myth or superstition; something which is almost certainly untrue, despite acceptance by many." ], "links": [ [ "rumour", "rumour" ], [ "myth", "myth" ], [ "superstition", "superstition" ], [ "almost", "almost" ], [ "certainly", "certainly" ], [ "untrue", "untrue" ] ], "synonyms": [ { "word": "anility" } ] } ], "translations": [ { "code": "cmn", "lang": "Chinese Mandarin", "roman": "míxìn de shuōfǎ", "sense": "supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth", "word": "迷信的說法 /迷信的说法" }, { "code": "fi", "lang": "Finnish", "sense": "supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth", "word": "huhupuhe" }, { "code": "fi", "lang": "Finnish", "sense": "supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth", "word": "akkojen puhe" }, { "code": "la", "lang": "Latin", "sense": "supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth", "tags": [ "feminine" ], "word": "anīlis fābula" }, { "code": "la", "lang": "Latin", "sense": "supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth", "tags": [ "feminine" ], "word": "ava" }, { "code": "mk", "lang": "Macedonian", "roman": "babina devetina", "sense": "supposed truth that has been passed down by word of mouth", "word": "бабина деветина" }, { "code": "eu", "lang": "Basque", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "atsokeria" }, { "code": "eu", "lang": "Basque", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "atso-ipuin" }, { "code": "cmn", "lang": "Chinese Mandarin", "roman": "míxìn de shuōfǎ", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "迷信的說法 /迷信的说法" }, { "code": "da", "lang": "Danish", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "common-gender" ], "word": "ammestuehistorie" }, { "code": "nl", "lang": "Dutch", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "neuter" ], "word": "bakerpraatje" }, { "code": "fi", "lang": "Finnish", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "harhaluulo" }, { "code": "fi", "lang": "Finnish", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "akkojen puhe" }, { "code": "fr", "lang": "French", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "masculine" ], "word": "mythe" }, { "code": "de", "lang": "German", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "neuter" ], "word": "Ammenmärchen" }, { "code": "he", "lang": "Hebrew", "roman": "sippuréy savtá", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "masculine", "plural" ], "word": "סִפּוּרֵי סָבְתָא" }, { "code": "no", "lang": "Norwegian", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "kjerringsnakk" }, { "code": "ang", "lang": "Old English", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "neuter" ], "word": "ealdra cwēna spell" }, { "code": "ru", "lang": "Russian", "roman": "babʹi skazki", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "word": "бабьи сказки" }, { "code": "sv", "lang": "Swedish", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "common-gender" ], "word": "amsaga" }, { "code": "yi", "lang": "Yiddish", "roman": "bobe-mayse", "sense": "rumour, myth or superstition", "tags": [ "feminine" ], "word": "באָבע־מעשׂה" } ], "wikipedia": [ "old wives' tale" ], "word": "old wives' tale" }
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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (b941637 and 4230888). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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