subs. (once literary: now colloquial).—Orig. a child of either sex: cf. girl, harlot, etc.; subsequently a young woman without any idea of bold familiarity or wantonness long afterwards and still frequently associated with the term. [See quot. 1363.] WENCH = a wanton, mistress, or harlot early came into vogue: nowadays a working girl or woman of humble station in life is usually implied, while in America the word (save in vulgar use) is confined to coloured women, especially those in service. As verb = to whore; WENCHER = a whoremonger, MUTTON-MONGER (q.v.), WENCHLESS = harlot-free; WENCHING = whoring; and as adj. = lecherous.
c. 1280. The Ancren Riwle, 334. [He] biseinte Sodome & Gomorre, were, & wif, & WENCHEL. [He sank Sodom and Gomorrah, man, woman, and child.]
c. 1360. William of Palerne [E.E.T.S.], 1901. William & his worþi WENCHE [of a princess].
1363. LANGLAND, Piers Plowman [E.E.T.S.]. [Goddes WENCH = Virgin Mary, s.v. 336. WENCH = harlot, s.v. 422].
1380. WYCLIF, Bible, Matthew ix. 24. Go ȝe awey, for the WENCHE is nat dead, but slepith.
1383. CHAUCER, The Canterbury Tales, ‘Marchauntes Tale,’ 10076.
| I am a gentil woman, and no WENCHE. | |
| Ibid. ‘The Manciples Tale.’ | |
| For that other is a powre woman, | |
| She shal be cleped his WENCHE and his lemman. |
1530. PALSGRAVE, Langue Francoyse, I iape a WENCH, ie fout and ie bistocque, it is better to iape a WENCH than to do worse.
c. 1561. Narratives of the Reformation (Camden Society), 171. Before I removed from the sayde howse in London, I hadde two chyldearne borne ther, a boye and a WHENCE (wench).
1578. WHETSTONE, Promos and Cassandra. Therefore, sweet WENCH, help me to rue my woe.
1588–93. TARLETON, Jests [T. L. KINGTON-OLIPHANT, The New English, ii. 13. Among the Verbs are, TO WENCH, miss the likeness, …].
1591. HARINGTON, Ariosto, v. 20. For Ariodant so lov’d the princely WENCH.
1593. SHAKESPEARE, Titus Andronicus, iii. 1.
| Bear thou my hand, sweet WENCH, between thy teeth. | |
| Ibid. (1598), 1 Henry IV., i. 2. | |
| A fair hot WENCH in flame-colour’d taffeta. | |
| Ibid. (1602), Othello, v. 2. | |
| Now, how dost thou look now? O, ill-starr’d WENCH! | |
| Pale as thy smock! | |
| Ibid. (1602), Troilus and Cressida, v. 4. 35. | |
| What’s become of the WENCHING rogues? | |
| Ibid. (1605), Cymbeline, iv. 2. | |
| And do not play in WENCH-like words with that | |
| Which is so serious. | |
| Ibid. (1609), Pericles, iv. 2. | |
| Pand. … Mytilene is full of gallants. We lost too much money this mart by being too WENCHLESS. | |
| Bawd. … We have but poor three. |
1590. SPENSER, The Fairie Queene, I. iii. 11.
| But the rude WENCH her answerd nought at all; | |
| She could not heare, nor speake, nor understand. |
1598. FLORIO, A Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Biondella … a golden-lockt WENCH, as we say a goldilocks.
1599. JONSON, Every Man out of his Humour, iv. 4. Let a man sweat once a week in a hot-house, and be well rubbed and froted with a plump juicy WENCH and clean linen. Ibid. (1605), Eastward Hoe, ii. 1 [DODSLEY, Old Plays, iv. 221]. Thou art pander to me, for my WENCH: and I to thee, for thy cousenage.
1601. HOLLAND, Pliny, xxxv. x. Giuen he [Arellius] was exceedingly to WENCHING, and sure hee would be to haue one woman or other all times in chase.
1607. DEKKER, Northward Hoe, i. 2. A lodging of your providing! to be called a lieutenant’s or a captain’s WENCH.
1602. J. COOKE, How a Man may Choose a Good Wife from a Bad, iv., 3 (DODSLEY, Old Plays, 4th ed., 1875, ix., 76). A huffing WENCH, i’ faith.
1611. Bible, 2 Samuel xvii. 17. A WENCH went and told them.
1630. TAYLOR (‘The Water Poet’), Workes, Laugh and be Fat, 75.
| But yet, me thinkes, he giues thee but a frumpe, | |
| In telling how thou kist a WENCHES rumpe. |
1651. RANDOLPH, Hey for Honesty, iii. 3. The WENCHES will tumble and merrily jumble.
d. 1654. SELDEN, Table Talk, ‘Clergy.’ The fellow that was a great WENCHER.
1660–69. PEPYS, Diary, III. 207. My cozen Roger told us … that the Archbishop of Canterbury … is as very a WENCHER as can be.
1663. KILLIGREW, The Parson’s Wedding, ii., 7 [DODSLEY, Old Plays (HAZLITT), 4th ed., 1875, xiv., p. 438]. Rather than marry, keep a WENCH.
1672. WYCHERLEY, Love in a Wood, ii. 1. Ran. [A Man] may bring his bashful WENCH, and not have her put out of Countenance by the impudent honest Women of the Town. Ibid., v. 6. Dap. Why? she was my WENCH. Gripe. I’ll make her honest then.
1686–7. AUBREY, Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme (1881), 163. The towne is full of wanton WENCHES, and … (they say) scarce three honest women in the town.
1702. STEELE, The Funeral; or, Grief à-la-Mode, Act. i. This WENCH I know has played me false, and horned me in my gallants. [NOTE.—That the speaker is a female shows the word to have been transferable to the other sex.]
1710. STEELE, Tatler, No. 246, 9 Nov. The WENCH in the kitchen sings and scours from morning till night. Ibid. (1710–1), The Spectator, No 2, 2 March. He … can inform you from which of the French kings’s WENCHES our wives and daughters had this manner of curling their hair.
1809. MALKIN, Gil Blas [ROUTLEDGE], 311. Is he fond of play? Does he WENCH?
1841. E. G. PAIGE (‘Dow, Jr.’), Short Patent Sermons, lxxxix. The blushing Morn at length came traveling up from the oriental clime, and sowed the earth with pearls and diamonds, that glittered upon the dark bosom of Night like jewels upon the brow of an Ethiopian WENCH.
