partner vs wife

partner and wife both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
partner	Yes	No	Yes	No
wife	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, wife is a hyponym of partner; that is, wife is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than partner:

partner (noun)	wife (noun)
an associate in an activity or endeavor or sphere of common interest	a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
a person's partner in marriage
a person who is a member of a partnership

partner (verb)	wife (verb)
provide with a partner
act as a partner