Dutch wife

noun
/ˌdʌtʃ ˈwaɪf/UK

Etymology

Compound of Dutch (“inferior substitute”) + wife.

  1. inherited from *wībą — “woman; wife
  2. inherited from *wīb
  3. inherited from wīf — “woman, wife
  4. inherited from wyf
  5. compounded as dutch wife — “Dutch + wife

Definitions

  1. A long body-length bolster (pillow) that can be held or wrapped around one's body while…

    A long body-length bolster (pillow) that can be held or wrapped around one's body while sleeping.

  2. In East Asia and Southeast Asia, a wicker or bamboo tube the size of a person for use in…

    In East Asia and Southeast Asia, a wicker or bamboo tube the size of a person for use in the bed. In the summer heat, the open bamboo structure is cooler than fabric pillows or sheets. The Dutch wife is embraced by the user, exposing the maximum amount of the body to cooling breezes.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for Dutch wife. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA