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
A widow's thirds, on the death of an owner of substance the estate usually was passed to the eldest son failing that to the daughters in common A widow was by common law entitled to the third of the estate for the remainder of her life It was usually assumed that this right was forfeit when if she remarried
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
widow holding property or a title received from her deceased husband; title given in England to widows of princes, dukes, earls, and other noblemen
You use dowager to refer to the wife of a dead duke, emperor, or other man of high rank. the Dowager Countess Spencer Nobody was allowed to eat in the Empress Dowager's presence. Dowager is also a noun
[ 'dau-i-j&r ] (noun.) 1530. Middle French douagiere, from douage dower, from douer to endow, from Latin dotare, from dot-, dos gift, dower; more at DATE.