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• bertha
  bertha

  noun

  a collar or trimming, as of lace, worn about the shoulders by women, as over a low-necked waist or dress.
• Bertha
  Bertha

  noun

  a first name: from a Germanic word meaning “bright.”

bertha

¹ American  

[bur-thuh] / ˈbɜr θə /

noun

1. a collar or trimming, as of lace, worn about the shoulders by women, as over a low-necked waist or dress.

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Bertha ² American  

[bur-thuh] / ˈbɜr θə /

noun

1. a first name: from a Germanic word meaning “bright.”

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bertha British  

/ ˈbɜːθə /

noun

1. a wide deep capelike collar, often of lace, usually to cover up a low neckline

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Etymology

Origin of bertha

First recorded in 1835–45; named after Bertha (died a.d. 783), wife of Frankish king Pepin the Short; she was famed for her modesty

Example Sentences

They play Bertha and Seth Holley, the married proprietors of the boarding house.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

As Ms. Weinman tells it, by the early 1990s state Rep. Bertha Holt had been trying to get a law passed for more than 10 years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

Her Bertha is the kindly, nurturing counterweight to Seth’s badgering boisterousness, a quality Morris infuses with just enough avuncular affection.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2025

Gladys’ marriage is the product of a financial arrangement brokered by Bertha, of which George disapproves.

From Salon • Aug. 11, 2025

Armed with the treats, the children could not resist trying to teach Bertha some tricks, but the small-brained bird was not a terribly good student.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

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