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

To show that it was the PKF proteins that were doing the killing, University of British Columbia molecular biologist David Theilmann and colleagues infected bertha armyworms with two baculovirus species, MacoNPV-A and MacoNPV-B.

From Science Magazine • Jul. 29, 2021

Edwardian sleeves and bertha collars, ribbons, roses and trailing black velvet are the tricks of the trade.

From Time Magazine Archive

She wore an old black silk frock with muslin bertha.

From A Daughter of the Vine by Atherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn

Or the thin sprigged blue and white? it was so pretty—bunches of blue flowers on a cross-barred muslin, and made with three flounces and a bertha.

From The Awakening of Helena Richie by Deland, Margaret Wade Campbell

Her dress was ornamented with a bertha and cuffs of Duchess lace.

From The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach Proving Their Mettle Under Southern Skies by Crane, Laura Dent

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