Rambhadracharya in controversy regarding WIFE, where did this word come from, what does it mean?

Wife Meaning: These days a video is going viral on social media, in which Jagadguru Rambhadracharya is explaining the word ‘WIFE’. After this statement of his, all kinds of things are happening on social media. People are trolling and raising questions on the respect of women. In such a situation, let us understand where the word wife came from and what does it really mean?

Where did the word wife come from?

The question is, where did the word wife come from and how old is it? So let us tell you that the history of the word Wife is much older and more interesting than the full form mentioned by Rambhadracharya ji. This word originates from Germanic languages. From Proto-Germanic wīfa-, which was Old English wif. It meant ‘any woman or woman’. In ancient times, this word was used for any female. Which has nothing to do with marriage. Even today in German it is called Weib which means ‘woman’.

From ‘woman’ to ‘wife’: How did the meaning change over time?

Society was changing in England in 1100-1400 AD. The influence of the Church increased. Marriage started being considered a sacred sacrament. New words came for virgin girls like maiden, damsel or girl. Gradually, wife started being used only for married women. By 1500 AD, this word was used solely for a man’s legal and social wife. Today wife simply means The woman that somebody is married to. If there is a divorce then it is called ex-wife. Interesting thing is that the word woman also comes from wifman i.e. wif means woman and man means human.

What did Acharya ji tell in full form?

Rambhadracharya ji told the full form of Wife as Wonderful Instrument For Enjoyment which is not found anywhere in any dictionary. This seems to be a creative or sarcastic interpretation, perhaps meant to poke fun at English culture, but in reality there is no official full form of ‘wife’. It is a single word that evolved over centuries. When Acharya ji called it an ‘enjoyment tool’, people got angry but he was linking it to the Sanskrit word ‘wife’ i.e. one who accompanies in Yagya. The controversy shows that the meaning of words varies according to culture.

What is the whole matter? Video went viral

This video of Rambhadracharya was uploaded on Acharya ji’s YouTube channel. He again talked about this during a program in Sambhal. Acharya ji said that the full form of ‘WIFE’ is ‘Wonderful Instrument For Enjoyment’ i.e. a means of enjoyment. He described it as a tool for enjoyment and said that only married people understand its true meaning. Unmarried or sannyasi people should not comment otherwise there will be controversy, but as soon as his statement went viral, it created an uproar. RJD’s Kanchan Yadav called it derogatory for women. People are making memes on social media. Trolling is happening. Acharya ji clarified that I had not said anything wrong. This is the interpretation of the British and is written in the books. There was no divorce in our country. It was imposed from abroad.