- Widow
- Widow Wid"ow (w[i^]d"[-o]), n. [OE. widewe, widwe, AS.
weoduwe, widuwe, wuduwe; akin to OFries. widwe, OS. widowa,
D. weduwe, G. wittwe, witwe, OHG. wituwa, witawa, Goth.
widuw[=o], Russ. udova, OIr. fedb, W. gweddw, L. vidua, Skr.
vidhav[=a]; and probably to Skr. vidh to be empty, to lack;
cf. Gr. "hi`qeos a bachelor. [root]248. Cf. {Vidual}.]
A woman who has lost her husband by death, and has not
married again; one living bereaved of a husband. ``A poor
widow.'' --Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Card Playing) In various games (such as ``hearts''), any extra hand or part of a hand, as one dealt to the table. It may be taken by one of the players under certain circumstances. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
{Grass widow}. See under {Grass}.
{Widow bewitched}, a woman separated from her husband; a grass widow. [Colloq.]
{Widow-in-mourning} (Zo["o]l.), the macavahu.
{Widow monkey} (Zo["o]l.), a small South American monkey ({Callithrix lugens}); -- so called on account of its color, which is black except the dull whitish arms, neck, and face, and a ring of pure white around the face.
{Widow's chamber} (Eng. Law), in London, the apparel and furniture of the bedchamber of the widow of a freeman, to which she was formerly entitled. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.