widow
widow Lexical Profile
widow Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A woman who has lost her spouse by death and has not remarried.
"After her husband passed away, the young widow dedicated her life to raising their children and managing the estate."
A short line or single word at the end of a paragraph that appears alone at the top of a new page or column in typography.
"The designer adjusted the document's line spacing to ensure no widow appeared at the top of the printed page."
An extra hand or set of cards dealt face down in certain card games, to be used by the highest bidder or according to specific rules.
"In this variation of poker, the dealer places three cards in the widow before the final round of betting."
• verb
To cause someone to become a widow or widower, typically through the death of a spouse.
"The tragic conflict widowed thousands of young women across the countryside."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'widow' strictly refers to a woman whose spouse has died, the male equivalent is 'widower', though the verb form or adjective 'widowed' is used equally for both genders.
• Rhymes for widow
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'widuwe', derived from Proto-Germanic '*widuwō', which ultimately traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₁widʰéwh₂', meaning 'separated' or 'destitute'.