divide
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To divide the house with one's wife; to give her the outside, and to keep all the inside to one's self, i.e. to turn her into the street.
Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “divide” mean?
To divide the house with one's wife; to give her the outside, and to keep all the inside to one's self, i.e. to turn her into the street.
Is “divide” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.