An archaic term for a wife whose husband is unfaithful, or occasionally, a woman who knows about and tolerates her husband's infidelity.
From 'cuck' (from cuckoo, referring to cuckoldry) + 'quean' (an archaic word for woman, sometimes with derogatory connotations); the term emerged in the 16th-17th centuries.
While 'cuckold' (deceived husband) is still used today, 'cuckquean' is nearly extinct—this linguistic asymmetry shows how societies were more concerned with tracking male honor than female betrayal, and language preserved that bias.
Early modern English term for a woman whose husband is unfaithful; the female inverse of 'cuckold.' The asymmetry in historical usage reflects how male infidelity was normalized while female partners' humiliation was named and emphasized.
Avoid in modern usage; when discussing historical gender dynamics, use neutral terms like 'betrayed partner' or 'partner of an unfaithful spouse' instead.
["betrayed spouse","wronged partner","partner of an unfaithful spouse"]
The rarity of this term compared to 'cuckold' reveals historical dismissal of women's experience of infidelity; modern language increasingly recognizes betrayal regardless of gender.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.