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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
She was dressed in a dark green velvet evening dress, whose white lace bertha was carelessly pinned with a magnificent solitaire.
From Faithful Margaret A Novel by Ashmore, Annie
This was placed under the bertha of cobweb lace, and demurely in the middle of the short-waisted bodice.
From Woman as Decoration by Burbank, Emily
The long sleeves had been replaced by short lace ones, trimmed to match the pretty lace bertha, and the long handsome gloves quite completed her costume.
From Miss Dexie A Romance of the Provinces by Eveleth, Stanford
U.S. natural gas futures settled higher with the market looking to Thursday’s weekly storage report and keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Bertha as the system moves along the Louisiana coast toward Texas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Bertha was expected to begin weakening by Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
"Bertha will move near or along the northern Gulf coast during the next several days," said the Miami-based NHC.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
George never approved of Bertha using Gladys as currency to secure their power in society, regardless of what that successful union gains them.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2025
We came back to Bertha, and I’ve been sitting on the living-room sofa ever since.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
