жена

Inherited from Old Church Slavonic жена (žena), from Proto-Slavic *žena, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *génāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn.

• IPA^(key): [ʒɛˈna]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -na

жена́ • (žená) f (relational adjective же́нски, diminutive жени́ца)

1. woman, lady, female
2. wife, spouse
3. charwoman, home help

• The vocative жено (ženo) is considered vulgar and is therefore generally avoided.

• “жена”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “жена”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “жена”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 536

• нежа (neža)

• IPA^(key): [ʒɛˈna]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: же‧на

жена́ • (žená) f

1. Prešov form of жона́ (žoná)
2. Lemko form of жона́ (žoná)

• Kercha, Ihor (2012) “жена”, in Словник русько-русинськый: у 2 т. [Russian-Rusyn Dictionary: in 2 vols] (overall work in Russian and Carpathian Rusyn), Uzhhorod: PoliPrint, page 268
• Ołeksandr Hojsak (2018) “жена”, in Słownik gwary łemkowskiej wsi Wysowa, 1 edition, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, →ISBN, page 55
• Юрій Панько (2015) “žena”, in Slovensko-rusínsky slovník/Словацько-русиньскый словник (in Ukrainian), volume 2, Prešov: Rusínska obroda na Slovensku, →ISBN, page 907

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *žena, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *génāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn.

• IPA^(key): [ˈʒɛna]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: же‧на

жена • (žena) f (plural жени, relational adjective женски, diminutive женичка or женче, augmentative жениште or женетина)

1. woman
2. wife

   Synonym: сопруга f (sopruga)

• маж m (maž)

• Glagolitic: ⰶⰵⱀⰰ (žena)

From Proto-Slavic *žena, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *génāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn.

жена • (žena) f

1. woman
2. wife

From Proto-Slavic *žena.

• Hyphenation: же‧на

жена (žena) f (diminutive женъка or жонъка)

1. woman
2. wife

• (woman): мѫжь (mǫžĭ, “man”)
• (wife): мѫжь (mǫžĭ, “husband”)

• Old Ruthenian: жона (žona), жена (žena), жана (žana)
  • Belarusian: жана́ (žaná) (dated)
  • Carpathian Rusyn: жона́ (žoná), же́на (žéna) (Lemko)
  • Ukrainian: жона́ (žoná) (dated)
• Russian: жена́ (žená)

• Sreznevsky, Izmail I. (1893) “жена”, in Матеріалы для Словаря древне-русскаго языка по письменнымъ памятникамъ [Materials for the Dictionary of the Old East Slavic Language Based on Written Monuments]‎^[1] (in Russian), volume 1 (А – К), Saint Petersburg: Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, column 857

Inherited from Old Slovak žena, from Proto-Slavic *žena. Cognates include Carpathian Rusyn жона́ (žoná) and Slovak žena.

• IPA^(key): [ˈʒɛna]
• Rhymes: -ɛna
• Hyphenation: же‧на

жена (žena) f (diminutive женочка, augmentative женїска, related adjective женов or женски)

1. female, woman

   Coordinate terms: хлоп (xlop), чловек (človek)

2. wife

   Synonym: супруга (supruha)

   Coordinate terms: муж (muž), супруг (supruh), хлоп (xlop)

• The plural instrumental form женми (ženmi) is less common than женами (ženami).

• Medʹeši, H., Fejsa, M., Timko-Djitko, O. (2010) “жена”, in Ramač, Ju., editor, Руско-сербски словнїк [Rusyn-Serbian Dictionary] (in Pannonian Rusyn), Novi Sad: Faculty of Philosophy
• Fejsa, M., Šlemender, M., Čelʹovski, S. (2022) “wife”, in Анґлийско-руски словнїк [English-Rusyn Dictionary] (in Pannonian Rusyn), Novi Sad: Faculty of Philosophy; Ruska matka, →ISBN, page 377
• Fejsa, M., Šlemender, M., Čelʹovski, S. (2022) “woman”, in Анґлийско-руски словнїк [English-Rusyn Dictionary] (in Pannonian Rusyn), Novi Sad: Faculty of Philosophy; Ruska matka, →ISBN, page 380

Inherited from Old East Slavic жена (žena), from Proto-Slavic *žena, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *génāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn, whence English queen and gyno-.

• IPA^(key): [ʐɨˈna]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a

жена́ • (žená) f anim (genitive жены́, nominative plural жёны, genitive plural жён, diminutive жёнушка or жену́ля or жену́лька)

1. wife

   Synonym: супру́га (suprúga)

   Antonym: супру́г m (suprúg)

   Antonym: муж m (muž)

   • 1887, Николай Лесков [Nikolai Leskov], “Глава третья”, in Грабёж; English translation from Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, transl., A Robbery, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013:

     Они́ жену́ мне хоте́ли взять из орло́вских для того́, что́бы у нас бы́ло обновле́ние родства́.

     Oní ženú mne xotéli vzjatʹ iz orlóvskix dlja tovó, štóby u nas býlo obnovlénije rodstvá.

     She wanted to take a wife for me from the Orel girls, so as to renew the family.

2. (obsolete, poetic) woman
   • 1997, Nautilus Pompilius [Nautilus Pompilius], “Сёстры печали [Sjóstry pečali]”, in Яблокитай:

     Жёны ра́дости пьют твоё вре́мя, как во́ду,
     А сёстры печа́ли внеза́пны, как дождь;
     Жёнам ра́дости в тя́гость доро́ги свобо́ды,
     А сёстры печа́ли иду́т за тобо́й.
     Иду́т за тобо́й, пока́ не умрёшь...

     Žóny rádosti pʹjut tvojó vrémja, kak vódu,
     A sjóstry pečáli vnezápny, kak doždʹ;
     Žónam rádosti v tjágostʹ dorógi svobódy,
     A sjóstry pečáli idút za tobój.
     Idút za tobój, poká ne umrjóšʹ...

     Women of joy drink thy time as if it's water,
     And sisters of sorrow are sudden like rain;
     Women of joy are weary of liberty's roads,
     And sisters of sorrow go after thee.
     Go after thee, till thou'll die...

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *žena, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *génāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn.

• IPA^(key): /ʒěna/
• Hyphenation: же‧на

жѐна f (Latin spelling žèna, relational adjective жѐнскӣ, diminutive жѐница)

1. woman
2. wife

• жѐнити

• “жена”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025