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dowager - 4 dictionary results

dow⋅a⋅ger

  [dou-uh-jer]
Use dowager in a Sentence
–noun
1. a woman who holds some title or property from her deceased husband, esp. 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, esp. one of elevated social position: a wealthy dowager.
–adjective
3. noting, pertaining to, or characteristic of a dowager: the dowager duchess; to prefer a dowager style of dress.
Origin:
1520–30; < MF douag(i)ere, equiv. to douage dower (see endow, -age ) + -iere, fem. of -ier -ier 2

Related forms:
dow⋅a⋅ger⋅ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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dow·a·ger   (dou'ə-jər)   
n.  
  1. A widow who holds a title or property derived from her deceased husband.
  2. An elderly woman of high social station.

[Obsolete French douagière, from douage, dower, from douer, to endow, from Latin dōtāre, from dōs, dōt-, dowry; see dō- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Dowager

Dow"a*ger\, n. [OF. douagiere, fr. douage dower. See Dower.]

1. (Eng. Law) A widow endowed, or having a jointure; a widow who either enjoys a dower from her deceased husband, or has property of her own brought by her to her husband on marriage, and settled on her after his decease. --Blount. --Burrill.

2. A title given in England to a widow, to distinguish her from the wife of her husband's heir bearing the same name; -- chiefly applied to widows of personages of rank.

With prudes for proctors, dowagers for deans. --Tennyson.

Queen dowager, the widow of a king.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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dowager 
1530, from M.Fr. douagere "pertaining to a dower," from douage "dower," from douer "endow," from L. dotare, from dos (gen. dotis) "dowry" (see dowry).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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