dower house

American  

noun

British.

1. the dwelling that is intended for or occupied by the widowed mother of the owner of an ancestral estate.

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dower house British  

noun

1. a house set apart for the use of a widow, often on her deceased husband's estate

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Etymology

Origin of dower house

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Used to be a kind of dower house once upon a time, they say.”

From The Jervaise Comedy by Beresford, J. D. (John Davys)

Mr. Robert Arbuthnot is a retired Anglo-Indian official, and he and his wife have now lived for two years in the dower house which forms part of the Barwell Moat estate.

From The End of Her Honeymoon by Lowndes, Marie Belloc

It was the inkyo, the "shadow dwelling" or dower house.

From Kimono by Paris, John

What I propose is that your father and mother shall come home and take possession of the dower house, and that your father should act as my agent.

From Maori and Settler A Story of The New Zealand War by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

The two aunts of these young ladies lived for many years in the dower house upon my estate in Hampshire.

From Anna the Adventuress by Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)