noun
Archaic term for 'wife', no longer used in modern Japanese. Found only in historical or literary contexts.
古文書には「めじゃ者」という語が妻を指して使われている。
In old documents, the word 'mejamono' is used to refer to a wife.
Modern standard word for 'wife'; めじゃもの is its archaic predecessor.
Polite modern term for someone else's wife; めじゃもの is obsolete and neutral in register.
The exact derivation is uncertain; it is an archaic compound that fell out of use, replaced by modern terms for 'wife'.