wench

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

wench, n. [OE. wenche, for older wenchel a child, originally, weak, tottering; cf. AS. wencle a maid, a daughter, wencel a pupil, orphan, wincel, winclu, children, offspring, wencel weak, wancol unstable, OHG. wanchol; perhaps akin to E. wink. See Wink.].

•  A young woman; a girl; a maiden.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

  "Lord and lady, groom and wench."  [1913 Webster]

  "That they may send again
  My most sweet wench, and gifts to boot."  [1913 Webster]

  "He was received by the daughter of the house, a pretty, buxom, blue-eyed little wench."  [1913 Webster]
•  A low, vicious young woman; a drab; a strumpet.  [1913 Webster]

  "She shall be called his wench or his leman."  [1913 Webster]

  "It is not a digression to talk of bawds in a discourse upon wenches."  [1913 Webster]
•  A colored woman; a negress.  [1913 Webster]

wench, v. i. 

 To frequent the company of wenches, or women of ill fame.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

wench, n. & v.
--n.
1 joc. a girl or young woman.
2 archaic a prostitute.
--v.intr. archaic (of a man) consort with prostitutes.

Derivative

wencher n.

Etymology

ME wenche, wenchel f. OE wencel child: cf. OE wancol weak, tottering

THESAURUS

wench

Jane, Jezebel, abigail, amah, au pair girl, ayah, babe, baby, bad woman, baggage, betweenmaid, biddy, bird, bitch, broad, chambermaid, chaperon, chick, chippy, clitoromaniac, cocotte, colleen, companion, cook, cutie, dame, damoiselle, damsel, demoiselle, doll, drab, duenna, easy lay, easy woman, femme de chambre, fille de chambre, filly, floozy, frail, frail sister, gal, gentlewoman, girl, girlie, grisette, handmaid, handmaiden, harridan, heifer, hen, hired girl, housemaid, hoyden, hussy, hysteromaniac, jade, jeune fille, jezebel, jill, junior miss, kitchenmaid, lady-help, lady-in-waiting, lass, lassie, little missy, live-in maid, live-out maid, loose woman, mademoiselle, maid, maiden, maidservant, minx, miss, missy, nursemaid, nymphet, nympho, nymphomaniac, parlormaid, pickup, piece, quail, quean, romp, schoolgirl, schoolmaid, schoolmiss, scullery maid, servant girl, servitress, skirt, slattern, slip, slut, soubrette, strumpet, subdeb, subdebutante, subteen, subteener, tart, teenybopper, tomato, tomboy, tramp, trollop, trull, tweeny, upstairs maid, uteromaniac, virgin, waiting maid, wanton, whore, young creature, young thing

ROGET THESAURUS

wench

Infant

N infant, babe, baby, babe in arms, nurseling, suckling, yearling, weanling, papoose, bambino, kid, vagitus, child, bairn, little one, brat, chit, pickaninny, urchin, bantling, bratling, elf, youth, boy, lad, stripling, youngster, youngun, younker, callant, whipster, whippersnapper, whiffet, schoolboy, hobbledehoy, hopeful, cadet, minor, master, scion, sap, seedling, tendril, olive branch, nestling, chicken, larva, chrysalis, tadpole, whelp, cub, pullet, fry, callow, codlin, codling, foetus, calf, colt, pup, foal, kitten, lamb, lambkin, aurelia, caterpillar, cocoon, nymph, nympha, orphan, pupa, staddle, girl, lass, lassie, wench, miss, damsel, demoiselle, maid, maiden, virgin, hoyden, infantine, infantile, puerile, boyish, girlish, childish, babyish, kittenish, baby, newborn, unfledged, new-fledged, callow, in the cradle, in swaddling clothes, in long clothes, in arms, in leading strings, at the breast, in one's teens.

Libertine

N libertine, voluptuary, rake, debauchee, loose fish, rip, rakehell, fast man, intrigant, gallant, seducer, fornicator, lecher, satyr, goat, whoremonger, paillard, adulterer, gay deceiver, Lothario, Don Juan, Bluebeard, chartered libertine, adulteress, advoutress, courtesan, prostitute, strumpet, harlot, whore, punk, fille de joie, woman, woman of the town, streetwalker, Cyprian, miss, piece, frail sisterhood, demirep, wench, trollop, trull, baggage, hussy, drab, bitch, jade, skit, rig, quean, mopsy, slut, minx, harridan, unfortunate, unfortunate female, unfortunate woman, woman of easy virtue, wanton, fornicatress, Jezebel, Messalina, Delilah, Thais, Phryne, Aspasia, Lais, lorette, cocotte, petite dame, grisette, demimonde, chippy, sapphist, spiritual wife, white slave, concubine, mistress, doxy, chere amie, bona roba, pimp, procurer, pander, pandar, bawd, conciliatrix, procuress, mackerel, wittol.

Woman

N woman, she, her, female, petticoat, feminality, muliebrity, womanhood, womankind, the sex, the fair, fair sex, softer sex, weaker vessel, dame, madam, madame, mistress, Mrs, lady, donna belle, matron, dowager, goody, gammer, Frau, frow, Vrouw, rani, good woman, good wife, squaw, wife, matronage, matronhood, bachelor girl, new woman, feminist, suffragette, suffragist, nymph, wench, grisette, girl, sissy, betty, cot betty, cotquean, henhussy, mollycoddle, muff, old woman, hen, bitch, sow, doe, roe, mare, she goat, Nanny goat, tabita, ewe, cow, lioness, tigress, vixen, gynecaeum, estrogen, oestrogen, consanguinity &c, paternity, lesbian, dyke, female, she-, feminine, womanly, ladylike, matronly, maidenly, wifely, womanish, effeminate, unmanly, gynecic, gynaecic, Pron, she, her, hers, ', a perfect woman nobly planned, a lovely lady garmented in white, das Ewig-Weibliche zieht uns hinan, earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected, es de vidrio la mujer, she moves a goddess and she looks a queen, the beauty of a lovely woman is like music, varium et mutabile semper femina, woman is the lesser man.