widow

[wid-oh]

noun

1. a woman who has lost her spouse by death and has not remarried.

2. Cards.,  an additional hand or part of a hand, as one dealt to the table.

3. Printing.

   1. a short last line of a paragraph, especially one less than half of the full measure or one consisting of only a single word.

   2. the last line of a paragraph when it is carried over to the top of the following page away from the rest of the paragraph.

4. a woman often left alone because her husband devotes his free time to a hobby or sport (used in combination).

verb (used with object)

widowed, widowing 

1. to make (someone) a widow.

   She was widowed by the war.

2. to deprive of anything cherished or needed.

   A surprise attack widowed the army of its supplies.

3. Obsolete.

   1. to endow with a widow's right.

   2. to survive as the widow of.

widow

/ ˈwɪdəʊ /

noun

1. a woman who has survived her husband, esp one who has not remarried

2. informal,  (usually with a modifier) a woman whose husband frequently leaves her alone while he indulges in a sport, etc

   a golf widow

3. printing a short line at the end of a paragraph, esp one that occurs as the top line of a page or column Compare orphan

4. (in some card games) an additional hand or set of cards exposed on the table

verb

1. to cause to become a widow or a widower

2. to deprive of something valued or desirable

Other Word Forms

• widowly adjective
• widowhood noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of widow¹

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English wid(e)we, Old English widuwe, wydewe; cognate with German Witwe, Gothic widuwo, Latin vidua (feminine of viduus “bereaved”), Sanskrit vidhavā “widow”; (verb) Middle English, derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of widow¹

Old English widuwe; related to German Witwe, Latin vidua (feminine of viduus deprived), Sanskrit vidhavā

Idioms and Phrases

see grass widow.

Example Sentences

A father who was left widowed with seven young children has said sharing his story of "brokenness and grief" after losing his wife is helping others.

From BBC

Osbourne's widow Sharon and children Aimee, Jack and Kelly visited floral tributes laid at Black Sabbath bridge following his death on 22 July in a cortege that weaved through the streets of his home city.

From BBC

Reid is widowed and despite a distinguished career as an astronaut, he considers his time as an only parent as his "greatest challenge and the most rewarding phase" of his life.

From BBC

Han, the 82-year-old widow of the church's founder Sun Myung Moon, has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling them "false".

From BBC

Despite the string of prominent politicians speaking on Sunday night, the defining moment came when Erika Kirk, Charlie's widow, took the stage.

From BBC