"wenche" meaning in Middle English

See wenche in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈwɛnt͡ʃ(ə)/ Forms: wenches [plural], wench [alternative]
Etymology: Shortened form of wenchel. Head templates: {{head|enm|noun|g=|g2=|g3=|head=|sort=}} wenche, {{enm-noun}} wenche (plural wenches)
  1. an unmarried girl, maiden; a young woman Synonyms: girle, las, mayde, mayde child, mayden, mayden child
    Sense id: en-wenche-enm-noun-dn3fjq3V
  2. a female infant
    Sense id: en-wenche-enm-noun-U~F13wnD
  3. a serving maid, a bondwoman
    Sense id: en-wenche-enm-noun-4q38w6Wj Categories (other): Middle English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 23 18 30 8 11 9 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 16 10 55 7 8 3 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 33 7 47 5 5 3
  4. a sweetheart, one’s beloved
    Sense id: en-wenche-enm-noun-BE83qKCz
  5. a concubine, paramour, mistress; a strumpet, harlot; a temple prostitute
    Sense id: en-wenche-enm-noun-luAEjpdZ
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Noun

Head templates: {{head|enm|noun}} wenche
  1. alternative form of wynche Tags: alt-of, alternative Alternative form of: wynche
    Sense id: en-wenche-enm-noun-L0FgP5Na
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Alternative forms

{
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "word": "wench"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_text": "Shortened form of wenchel.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "wenches",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wench",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "wenche",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "wenche (plural wenches)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "an unmarried girl, maiden; a young woman"
      ],
      "id": "en-wenche-enm-noun-dn3fjq3V",
      "links": [
        [
          "girl",
          "girl"
        ],
        [
          "maiden",
          "maiden"
        ],
        [
          "woman",
          "woman"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "girle"
        },
        {
          "word": "las"
        },
        {
          "word": "mayde"
        },
        {
          "word": "mayde child"
        },
        {
          "word": "mayden"
        },
        {
          "word": "mayden child"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "a female infant"
      ],
      "id": "en-wenche-enm-noun-U~F13wnD",
      "links": [
        [
          "female",
          "female"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "23 18 30 8 11 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "16 10 55 7 8 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 7 47 5 5 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "a serving maid, a bondwoman"
      ],
      "id": "en-wenche-enm-noun-4q38w6Wj",
      "links": [
        [
          "maid",
          "maid"
        ],
        [
          "bondwoman",
          "bondwoman"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "a sweetheart, one’s beloved"
      ],
      "id": "en-wenche-enm-noun-BE83qKCz",
      "links": [
        [
          "sweetheart",
          "sweetheart"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "a concubine, paramour, mistress; a strumpet, harlot; a temple prostitute"
      ],
      "id": "en-wenche-enm-noun-luAEjpdZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "concubine",
          "concubine"
        ],
        [
          "paramour",
          "paramour"
        ],
        [
          "mistress",
          "mistress"
        ],
        [
          "strumpet",
          "strumpet"
        ],
        [
          "harlot",
          "harlot"
        ],
        [
          "temple prostitute",
          "temple prostitute"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈwɛnt͡ʃ(ə)/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "wenche"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "wenche",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "wynche"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "alternative form of wynche"
      ],
      "id": "en-wenche-enm-noun-L0FgP5Na",
      "links": [
        [
          "wynche",
          "wynche#Middle_English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "wenche"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English nouns",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "word": "wench"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_text": "Shortened form of wenchel.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "wenches",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wench",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "wenche",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "wenche (plural wenches)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "an unmarried girl, maiden; a young woman"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "girl",
          "girl"
        ],
        [
          "maiden",
          "maiden"
        ],
        [
          "woman",
          "woman"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "girle"
        },
        {
          "word": "las"
        },
        {
          "word": "mayde"
        },
        {
          "word": "mayde child"
        },
        {
          "word": "mayden"
        },
        {
          "word": "mayden child"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "a female infant"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "female",
          "female"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "a serving maid, a bondwoman"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "maid",
          "maid"
        ],
        [
          "bondwoman",
          "bondwoman"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "a sweetheart, one’s beloved"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sweetheart",
          "sweetheart"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "a concubine, paramour, mistress; a strumpet, harlot; a temple prostitute"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "concubine",
          "concubine"
        ],
        [
          "paramour",
          "paramour"
        ],
        [
          "mistress",
          "mistress"
        ],
        [
          "strumpet",
          "strumpet"
        ],
        [
          "harlot",
          "harlot"
        ],
        [
          "temple prostitute",
          "temple prostitute"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈwɛnt͡ʃ(ə)/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "wenche"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English nouns",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "wenche",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "wynche"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "alternative form of wynche"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "wynche",
          "wynche#Middle_English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "wenche"
}

Download raw JSONL data for wenche meaning in Middle English (2.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-01-19 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-01-01 using wiktextract (d1270d2 and 9905b1f). 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.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.