grass widow

noun

1. a woman who is separated, divorced, or lives apart from her husband.

2. a woman whose husband is away from home frequently or for a long time, as on business or to pursue a sport or hobby.

3. Archaic.

   1. a discarded mistress.

   2. a woman who has borne an illegitimate child.

grass widow

noun

1. a woman divorced, separated, or living away from her spouse

2. a woman whose spouse is regularly away for short periods

Other Word Forms

• grasswidowhood noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of grass widow¹

1520–30; the first element perhaps originally alluding to a bed of grass, hay, or the like; compare Dutch grasweduwe, German Strohwittwe literally, straw-widow

Word History and Origins

Origin of grass widow¹

C16, meaning a discarded mistress: perhaps an allusion to a grass bed as representing an illicit relationship; compare _bastard ; C19 in the modern sense

Idioms and Phrases

A woman who is separated from her husband, either by divorce or temporary absence. For example, She's a grass widow these days, with Herb traveling to golf tournaments all over the country. The expression dates from the 16th century, when it referred to the mother of an illegitimate child, grass presumably alluding to the open-air setting of the child's conception.