Bertha

¹ American  

[bur-thuh] / ˈbɜr θə /

noun

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

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bertha ² 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 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

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

It became synonymous with German military power, producing the Big Bertha gun during World War I, and later building tanks and U-boat components for the Nazis.

From The Wall Street Journal

Visit Bertha was Cassiopeia’s first pick.

From Literature

Bertha was the speedy but dimwitted ostrich who had been left at Ashton Place by a fascinating but dishonest explorer named Admiral Faucet, a friend of Lord Fredrick’s mother.

From Literature

Bertha lived in a POE—a Permanent Ostrich Enclosure—on the grounds of the estate.

From Literature

Related Words

• choker