Feme
/fiːm/noun
An archaic legal term meaning a woman, especially a wife considered in relation to her legal status.
Did you know?Under English common law, a married woman was a “feme covert,” literally a woman under legal protection or cover, while an unmarried woman was a “feme sole” with independent legal capacity.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
fēmina
“Woman or female; the source of the later Romance and English forms.”
9th–12th Century
Old French
feme
“Woman or wife; a development of Latin fēmina.”
12th–14th Century
Anglo-French
feme
“Woman or wife, especially in legal and administrative language.”
Middle English
English
feme
“Woman or wife; increasingly preserved in legal expressions.”
14th–17th Century
Legal English
feme sole / feme covert
“An unmarried woman with legal capacity, or a married woman whose legal identity was traditionally placed under her husband’s protection.”
Modern English
English
feme
“An archaic or historical legal term for a woman or wife.”
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