late 13c., wenche "girl, young woman," especially if unmarried, also "female infant," shortened from wenchel "child," also in Middle English "girl, maiden," from Old English wencel, probably related to wancol "unsteady, fickle, weak," from Proto-Germanic *wankila- (cognates: Old Norse vakr "child, weak person," Old High German wanchal "fickle"), from PIE *weng- "to bend, curve" (see wink (v.)).
The wenche is nat dead, but slepith. [Wyclif, Matt. ix:24, c. 1380]
In Middle English occasionally with disparaging suggestion, and secondary sense of "concubine, strumpet" is attested by mid-14c. Also "serving-maid, bondwoman, young woman of a humble class" (late 14c.), a sense retained in the 19c. U.S. South in reference to slave women of any age. In Shakespeare's day a female flax-worker could be a flax-wench, flax-wife, or flax-woman.
wench (v.)
"to associate with common women," 1590s, from wench (n.). Related: Wenched; wencher; wenching.
实用例句
1. Scarlett dropped Prissy's arm and the wench sank whimpering to the steps.
思嘉放开百里茜的胳臂,这女孩便呜呜咽咽地在楼梯上坐下了.
来自飘（部分）
2. Bought her and her little wench, Prissy.
买了她和她的小女儿百里茜.
来自飘（部分）
3. How can you know, wench? Facts bear strong against him.
你怎么会知道呢, 姑娘? 事实证明对他非常不利.
来自辞典例句
4. Where is that simple - minded little wench?
那个傻小娼妇哪里去了?
来自辞典例句
5. She was no sooner gone but comes a wench and a child, puffing and sweating.
