dowager en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈdaʊədʒə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈdaʊəd͡ʒɚ/ (Canada, General-American)
- (Canada) audio
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Middle French douagere, douagiere, from douage (“dower”), from the verb douer (“to endow”), from Latin dōtō (“to endow”), from dōs (“dowry”).
Meanings
-
A widow holding property or title derived from her late husband.
“I don't mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera, the gorged dowagers, the worn-out, passionless men, the enervated matrons of the summer capital, the chlorotic squatters on huge yachts,[…]!”
1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VI, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:A reclusive dowager owned the pastures across the river, and her farmhands ran beef cattle on them.
-
The widow of the holder of a title (usually a member of the peerage or a baronet); used in combination with the title she held during her husband's lifetime.
the Earl and Countess of Whiteacre, and the Earl's mother, the dowager Countess of Whiteacre
Sir George Sitwell, Bt. and Lady Sitwell, and Sir George's mother, the dowager Lady Sitwell
-
Any lady of dignified bearing, especially an older one.
A stately dowager entered the ballroom, and all eyes were upon her.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| dowagers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
dowagerism · queen dowager · dowagerial · dowager's hump · dowagerlike · dowagerish · empress dowager · dowagerly
Relateds
Translations (29)
it vedova nobile (lady of dignified bearing) · fr dame (lady of dignified bearing) · pl majętna wdowa (lady of dignified bearing) · cmn 貴婦 /贵妇 (lady of dignified bearing) · pl matrona (lady of dignified bearing) · ru матро́на (lady of dignified bearing) · es dama (lady of dignified bearing) · de Witwe von Stand (widow) · nrf douaithiéthe (widow) · nl douairière (widow) · pl wdowa z tytułem po zmarłym mężu (widow) · it vedova (widow) · sh матро́на (lady of dignified bearing) · gl rexente (widow) · ro văduvă (widow) · fr douairière (widow) · ar أرملة (widow) · sq e ve (widow) · gl viúva herdeira (widow) · fi perijätär (widow) · ru вдова́ (widow) · nl dame (lady of dignified bearing) · fi arvokas rouva (lady of dignified bearing) · es viuda (widow) · ru да́ма (lady of dignified bearing) · ga baintreach dhuair (widow) · sh matróna (lady of dignified bearing) · de Matrone (lady of dignified bearing) · ru вдо́вствующая (widow)