wife-in-law
n.— «In regard to what word your sister should use to describe her former husband’s new spouse, we have heard a few terms to describe that relationship: You used one of them, “wife-in-law.” We have also heard the term “stepwife,” but neither seems quite appropriate, the reason being that both use the term “wife” as the root word, and the relationship in question has nothing to do with being a wife to each other, or even that both women have been a wife to the same man.» —“Here’s one way to introduce your ex’s current spouse” by Jann Blackstone-Ford, Sharyl Jupe Mercury News (San Jose, California) June 15, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say...
While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be...