dowager

[ dou-uh-jer ]

noun

1. a woman who holds some title or property from her deceased husband, especially the widow of a king, duke, etc. (often used as an additional title to differentiate her from the wife of the present king, duke, etc.):

   a queen dowager; an empress dowager.

2. an elderly woman of stately dignity, especially one of elevated social position:

   a wealthy dowager.

adjective

1. noting, pertaining to, or characteristic of a dowager:

   the dowager duchess; to prefer a dowager style of dress.

dowager

/ ˈdaʊədʒə /

noun

1. 1. a widow possessing property or a title obtained from her husband
   2. ( as modifier )

      the dowager duchess

2. a wealthy or dignified elderly woman

Other Words From

• dowa·ger·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dowager¹

1520–30; < Middle French douag ( i ) ere, equivalent to douage dower ( endow, -age ) + -iere, feminine of -ier -ier ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of dowager¹

C16: from Old French douagiere, from douage dower

Example Sentences

In hit ITV drama Downton Abbey, Smith played Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, the grand matriarch who excelled at withering one-liners through the show's six series.

From BBC

When we think of Dame Maggie Smith she fits that descriptor since, to the average American, she is Professor Minerva McGonagall from the “Harry Potter” movies or Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham on “Downton Abbey.”

From Salon

That script cast her as Constance, Dowager Countess of Trentham, whose sense of humor sparkled beside other diamonds.

From Salon

She expressed woe at no longer being able to tour the stores or shop for groceries, which is both utterly normal and difficult to picture given her close association with the Dowager Countess.

From Salon

In the drama, which aired between 2010 and 2015, Dame Maggie played Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, the grand matriarch who excelled at withering one-liners.

From BBC

Related Words

• matron