unwed

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛd

Etymology 1

From un- (not) +‎ wed.

Adjective

unwed (not comparable)

1. Not married.

Translations

not married — see unmarried

Noun

unwed (plural unweds)

1. One who is not married; a bachelor or a spinster.

   Should unweds living together receive the same social benefits as married couples?

   • 1944, Emily Carr, “Unmarried”, in The House of All Sorts‎^[1]:

     Perhaps the most awkward situation for the inexperienced young landlady was how to deal with “unweds.”

Translations

bachelor or a spinster — see unmarried

Etymology 2

From un- (to reverse) +‎ wed.

Verb

unwed (third-person singular simple present unweds, present participle unwedding, simple past and past participle unwed or unwedded)

1. (transitive) To annul the marriage of.
   • 1918, All the World, volume 39, page 304:

     At last it was determined to unwed the unhappy pair, during the arrangements for which the husband was arrested and put into jail for six months for rioting.

2. (transitive, figurative) To separate.
   • 2008, Arthur Quiller-Couch, Studies in Literature: Third Series, page 206:

     A singer must be a fool indeed if you do not hear through Sullivan's notes the exact language of any song. Take, for example, the well-known Sentry song in Iolanthe and attempt to unwed the wit of the air from the wit of the thought and words; […]