Definition
A fine or penalty formerly imposed for illegitimate childbirth or for bearing a child outside of marriage.
Etymology
From Old English 'cild' (child) + 'wit' (blame, fault, payment). The '-wite' or '-wit' suffix comes from Old English meaning 'penalty' or 'fine,' as seen in the word 'wite' (punishment), a common element in early English legal terminology.
Kelly Says
Medieval law codes reveal deep biases through vocabulary—'childwite' shows how societies punished women specifically for having children outside marriage, while 'childwite' itself has disappeared from use, reflecting how modern law treats parentage and gender differently.
Translations
ARالعربية
زوجة طفل
zawjatu ṭifl
BNবাংলা
শিশুর স্ত্রী
shi-shur sh-tree
CACatalà
esposa d'un nen
e-spo-sa d'oon nen
CSČeština
manželka dítěte
manželka di-te-te
DADansk
piges hustru
pee-ges hus-tru
DEDeutsch
Kindfrau
kɪntfraʊ̯
ELΕλληνικά
γυναίκα παιδιού
yi-na-ka pa-di-u
ESEspañol
esposa de un niño
es-POH-sa deh oon knee-noh
FAفارسی
همسر کودک
ham-sar ko-dok
FISuomi
lapsen vaimo
lapsen vai-mo
FRFrançais
femme d'enfant
fɛm dɑ̃fɑ̃
GUGU
બાળકની પત્ની
ba-al-ka-nee pa-t-nee
HAHA
matar yaro
ma-ta-r ya-ro
HEעברית
אשתו של ילד
a-shto shel yela-d
HIहिन्दी
बच्चे की पत्नी
ba-ch-che kee pa-t-nee
HUMagyar
gyermek felesége
gyer-mek fe-le-sze-ge
IDBahasa Indonesia
istri anak
is-tri a-nak
IGIG
nwanyi nwanyi
n-wa-nyi n-wa-nyi
ITItaliano
moglie di bambino
mo-gli-e dee ba-bee-n-no
JA日本語
子供の妻
kodomo no tsuma
KKKK
баланың әйе
ba-la-nyng a-ye
KMKM
ស្ត្រីទេព
s-trey te-p
MRMR
बालकाची पत्नी
ba-al-ka-chi pa-t-nee
MSBahasa Melayu
isteri kanak-kanak
is-te-ri ka-nak-ka-nak
MYမြန်မာ
ငယ်သား တူ
ngai-tha-tu
NLNederlands
vrouw van een kind
vrouf van een kind
NONorsk
barns kone
barns ko-ne
PAPA
ਬੱਚੇ ਦੀ ਔਲਾ
ba-ch-he dee a-u-la
PLPolski
żona dziecka
zho-na dzhe-t-ska
PTPortuguês
mulher-criança
mu-lHER-kri-AN-sa
RORomână
soția unui copil
so-t-ia un-ui co-pil
RUРусский
жена ребёнка
zhena rebyonka
SVSvenska
barns fru
barns fru
SWKiswahili
mke wa mtoto
m-ke wa m-to-to
TAதமிழ்
குழந்தையின் மனைவி
ku-zhan-thai-nin ma-nai-vi
TEతెలుగు
బిడ్డల భార్య
bi-d-da-la ba-ar-ya
THไทย
ภรรยาของเด็ก
phon-ya kor dek
TLTL
asawa ng bata
a-sa-wa ng ba-ta
TRTürkçe
çocuk eşi
cho-ok eh-she
UKУкраїнська
дружина дитини
dru-zy-na di-ty-ny
URاردو
بچے کی بیوی
bach-ay ki bi-wi
VITiếng Việt
vợ của đứa trẻ
vợ cua đứa trẻ
ZUZU
umfazi wabantwana
oo-m-fa-zi wa-ban-t-wa-na
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Medieval fine imposed on women (especially servants) for illegitimate childbirth; embedded class and gender control—women were penalized for sex while men faced no comparable liability.
Inclusive Usage
Use only in historical legal contexts; clarify that penalties applied to women, not men, exposing unequal accountability.
Inclusive Alternatives
["bastardy fine (historical)","illegitimacy penalty (historical)"]
Empowerment Note
Poor and servant women bore legal penalties for sexuality while male nobility escaped accountability; resistance to these laws was part of early feminist legal critique.