half mourning

noun

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

the period during which it is worn.

Nearby words

half hose, half landing, half leather, half measure, half moon, half mourning, half nelson, half note, half of it, half pay, half pint

Origin of half mourning

First recorded in 1810–20

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for half-mourning

One was middle-aged, or thereabouts; the other young; both were dressed in half-mourning.
She and I, Volume 1|John Conroy Hutcheson
And surely grey is what is known as 'half-mourning' too, is it not?
The Orchard of Tears|Sax Rohmer
The ladies wear a kind of half-mourning, a stylish sort of reminder of original sin.
Ireland as It Is|Robert John Buckley (AKA R.J.B.)
The Countess of Montalto is herself again, and still in half-mourning for her husband.
A Lady of Rome|F. Marion Crawford

Then Lois came into the room, hatted and gloved, in half-mourning.
The Roll-Call|Arnold Bennett

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