dowager
noun/ˈdaʊədʒə(r)/
/ˈdaʊədʒər/
- a woman of high social rank who has a title from her dead husband
- the dowager Duchess of Norfolk
- (informal) an impressive, usually rich, old woman
Word Originmid 16th cent.: from Old French douagiere, from douage ‘dower’, from douer ‘endow’, from Latin dotare ‘endow’, from dos, dot- ‘dowry’; related to dare ‘give’.
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dowager