widow
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Old English widewe (“widow”), from Proto-Germanic *widuwǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁widʰéwh₂. Cognate with Dutch weduwe, German Witwe, and also Latin vidua, French veuve.
Pronunciation [edit]
Noun [edit]
widow (plural widows)
- A woman whose husband has died (and who has not remarried); feminine of widower.
- (informal, in combination) A woman whose husband is often away pursuing a sport, etc.
- 1988, Emily Parry, "For a Bowling Widow, a Split Isn't Just Two Lonely Pins," New York Times, 27 Nov.,
- I had been feeling like a bowling-alley widow, but knew he loved the game, so I suggested we join a mixed league.
- 1988, Emily Parry, "For a Bowling Widow, a Split Isn't Just Two Lonely Pins," New York Times, 27 Nov.,
- An additional hand of cards dealt face down in some card games, to be used by the highest bidder.
- (printing) A single line of type that ends a paragraph, carried over to the next page or column.
- A venomous spider, of the genus Latrodectus.
Related terms [edit]
Derived terms [edit]
Terms derived from widow (noun)
Translations [edit]
a woman whose husband has died
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a woman whose husband is often away
a line of type
Verb [edit]
widow (third-person singular simple present widows, present participle widowing, simple past and past participle widowed)
- (transitive) To make a widow (or widower) of someone; to cause the death of one's spouse.
