dowager — [dou′ə jər] n. [OFr douagiere < douage, dowry < douer, to give a dowry < L dotare, to endow < dos: see DOT2] 1. a widow with a title or property derived from her dead husband: often used in combination with the title [queen dowager,… … English World dictionary
dowager — n. A widow who holds the title or property that belonged to her dead husband. The Essential Law Dictionary. Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008 … Law dictionary
dowager — 1520s, from M.Fr. douagere widow with a dower lit. pertaining to a dower, from douage dower, from douer endow, from L. dotare, from dos (gen. dotis) dowry (see DOWRY (Cf. dowry)) … Etymology dictionary
dowager — ► NOUN 1) a widow with a title or property derived from her late husband. 2) informal a dignified elderly woman. ORIGIN Old French douagiere, from douer endow , from Latin dos dowry … English terms dictionary
Dowager — A dowager is a widow who holds a title or property, or dower, derived from her deceased husband. As an adjective, Dowager usually appears in association with monarchical and aristocratic titles. In loose popular usage, dowager as a stand alone… … Wikipedia
dowager — dowagerism, n. /dow euh jeuhr/, n. 1. a woman who holds some title or property from her deceased husband, esp. the widow of a king, duke, etc. (often used as an additional title to differentiate her from the wife of the present king, duke, etc.) … Universalium
dowager — [[t]da͟ʊəʤə(r)[/t]] dowagers 1) ADJ: ADJ n, n ADJ You use dowager to refer to the wife of a dead duke, emperor, or other man of high rank. ...the Dowager Countess Spencer... Nobody was allowed to eat in the Empress Dowager s presence. N COUNT… … English dictionary
dowager — UK [ˈdaʊədʒə(r)] / US [ˈdaʊədʒər] noun [countable] Word forms dowager : singular dowager plural dowagers 1) a woman who has a title or property because her dead husband belonged to a high social class 2) informal an impressive older woman,… … English dictionary
dowager — n. 1 a widow with a title or property derived from her late husband (Queen dowager; dowager duchess). 2 colloq. a dignified elderly woman. Etymology: OF douag(i)ere f. douage (as DOWER) … Useful english dictionary
dowager — Synonyms and related words: Eve, Frau, abbess, beldam, chatelaine, crone, dame, daughter of Eve, distaff, domina, donna, femme, first lady, frow, frump, gentlewoman, girl, goodwife, governess, grandam, grande dame, grandmother, granny, great lady … Moby Thesaurus
