Definition

1. Noun:
   • A succeeding principal wife; a second wife taken after the death of the first wife. This is an archaic term referring specifically to the woman who becomes the primary wife following the demise of the first principal wife, within historical contexts of polygamous marriage systems.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Sau khi nguyên phu nhân qua đời, bà ấy trở thành kế thất. (After the original wife passed away, she became the succeeding principal wife.)
  • Chức vị kế thất trong gia tộc đó mang nhiều trọng trách. (The position of the succeeding wife in that clan carried many responsibilities.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "kế thất" is primarily found in historical, literary, or formal contexts discussing traditional family structures. It is not used in contemporary everyday language to describe modern relationships.

Variants and Related Words

• Vợ kế (n): This is the more common and modern equivalent, meaning "stepmother" or "second wife." It is used more broadly than the archaic "kế thất."

  • Các con đều rất quý mến vợ kế của cha. (The children are all very fond of their father's second wife.)

• Nguyên phu nhân (n): The original/deceased first wife (often used in contrast to "kế thất").

• Kế mẫu (n): Stepmother (focusing on the maternal role).

Synonyms

• Succeeding wife: A wife who follows a previous one.
• Second wife (after the first's death): Specifies the circumstance.
• Stepmother (in a broad sense): Especially when referring to the father's new wife in relation to the children.

Related Concepts

• Nối thất: An even rarer, synonymous term meaning to take a succeeding wife.
• Đa thê: Polygamy; the historical practice of having more than one wife, which provided the social structure for terms like "kế thất."

1. như vợ kế