bertha

¹

[ bur-thuh ]

noun

1. a collar or trimming, as of lace, worn about the shoulders by women, as over a low-necked waist or dress.

Bertha

²

[ bur-thuh ]

noun

1. a first name: from a Germanic word meaning “bright.”

bertha

/ ˈbɜːθə /

noun

1. a wide deep capelike collar, often of lace, usually to cover up a low neckline

Word History and Origins

Origin of bertha¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bertha¹

C19: from French berthe , from Berthe , 8th-century Frankish queen, mother of Charlemagne

Example Sentences

But if parts of his trip could be unsettling, then there was considerable wonder and beauty too, particularly from blending in with the natives on Bertha’s Beach in the Falkland Islands.

From BBC

Bertha Servin, 58, works at Mission Linen Supply in Chino, an industrial laundry where workers sanitize and iron linens, uniforms and bedding for nearby hospitals.

From Los Angeles Times

What keeps Bertha interesting to you?

From Los Angeles Times

There she was in Thailand for weeks, shooting Season 3 of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” wearing sleeved bathing suits — because mere days after she’d be back in the U.S. she’d be in a corseted costume to play society wannabe Bertha on HBO’s “The Gilded Age” … and no way was Bertha going to show up bronzed.

From Los Angeles Times

In real life, as Brownstein relates, she was Bertha Pappenheim, a young Viennese woman who did indeed suffer from a range of mysterious symptoms.

From New York Times

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