helpmate
/ˈhɛlpmeɪt
/(also helpmeet)
noun
A helpful companion or partner, especially one’s husband or wife: she acted as his pleasant but by no means uncritical helpmate...
- And I think that Jack Kennedy discovered what a wonderful helpmate and wife she was in those years.
- She was meant to be his companion, his helpmeet, and this required a level of education that fitted her for this role.
- Evangelical ideals of husbands' headship as providers, leaders and decision-makers, and wives' subordination as helpmates and mothers were ideally matched to post-War ideals for family life.
Synonyms
companion, partner, associate, assistant, helper, helpmeet, attendant, escort;
supporter, friend
spouse, partner, consort, mate, husband, wife
informal other half, better half
Origin
Late 17th century (as helpmeet): from an erroneous reading of Gen. 2:18, 20, where Adam's future wife is described as ‘an help meet for him’ (i.e. a suitable helper for him). The variant helpmate came into use in the early 18th century.