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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

In fact, the Russell family matriarch left enough hurt feelings and resentment in her path that when asked if Bertha has become the show’s biggest villain Coon gleefully exclaims, “I hope so!”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025

Before Bertha could evade him, he reached over the fence and plucked a plume from her tail, which made her hiss mightily.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

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