half mourning

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noun

a mourning garb less somber than deep mourning, usually following a period of deep mourning.

the period during which it is worn.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of half mourning

First recorded in 1810–20

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use half mourning in a sentence

There I sat down, finding a sad significance in the delicate suggestion of half mourning.
In a German Pension|Katherine Mansfield
She was dressed in black, a sort of half mourning, I judged.
The Memoirs of an American Citizen|Robert Herrick
In France, a widow wears deep mourning for her husband during a year, and half mourning during another year.
Her Royal Highness Woman|Max O'Rell
He dresses in half-mourning always, and never wears any jewelry, but strictly shuns all society, and prefers uncivilized regions.
Erema|R. D. Blackmore

Mr. Carlyle came down next; and then Lady Isabel entered, in an elegant half-mourning dress, with flowing black ribbons.
East Lynne|Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for half mourning

half-mourning

noun

dark grey clothes worn by some during a period after full formal mourning

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012