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

The bertha, as we should call it now, was as a cobweb, and the lace from the puff sleeve falling over the arm of the same elegant material.

From A Little Girl in Old Boston by Douglas, Amanda Minnie

Dexie exclaimed, as she lifted a handsome lace bertha.

From Miss Dexie A Romance of the Provinces by Eveleth, Stanford

Mrs. Baldwin's lace bertha rose and fell sharply.

From The Wit and Humor of America, Volume X (of X) by Wilder, Marshall Pinckney

Related Words

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