mourning band

American  

noun

1. a piece of black cloth that is worn, especially as a band encircling the upper arm, to indicate mourning.

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mourning band British  

noun

1. a piece of black material, esp an armband, worn to indicate that the wearer is in mourning

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Etymology

Origin of mourning band

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mourning band

Pershing, wearing a dark mourning band on one sleeve, and Harding, wearing a top hat, walked side by side behind the caisson.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 10, 2021

But the wide one “is a mourning band for his son Willie. . . . You can see that he applied it to the hat after he purchased the hat.”

From Washington Post

The President was dressed in a gray suit with a mourning band on one sleeve.

From Time Magazine Archive

The wide mourning band around the crown, which Lincoln added to honor his son, Willie, was still there, a symbol of solidarity with others who had lost sons.

From Washington Post

Lincoln—whose hat was still circled by a black mourning band in honor of his dead son—spoke for a couple of minutes, and delivered 250-odd words.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith