widow

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English widow, from Old English widuwe (“widow”), from Proto-West Germanic *widuwā (“widow”), from Proto-Germanic *widuwǭ (“widow”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁widʰéwh₂ (“widow”), possibly from *h₁weydʰh₁-, *widʰ- (“to separate, split, cleave, divide”), whence also wood from Old English widu, wudu. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈwɪd.əʊ/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈwɪd.oʊ/ Hyphenation: wid‧ow Rhymes: -ɪdəʊ === Noun === widow (plural widows) A person whose spouse is absent: A person who has lost a spouse and hasn't remarried: A woman whose spouse (traditionally husband) has died (and who has not remarried); a woman in relation to her late spouse; feminine of widower. (uncommon) Any person whose spouse has died (and who has not remarried). (by extension, informal, often humorous or sarcastic, in combination) A woman whose husband is often away pursuing a hobby, career, etc. (card games) An additional hand of playing cards dealt face-down in some card games, to be used by the highest bidder. Synonym: kitty (typography) A single line of type that ends a paragraph but is separated from it by being carried over to the next page or column. Antonym: orphan Hyponym: runt Any venomous spider of the genus Latrodectus (called "widows" because of the practice of sexual cannibalism observed among many of these species). ==== Synonyms ==== (woman whose spouse has died): widowess (man whose spouse has died): widower ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === widow (third-person singular simple present widows, present participle widowing, simple past and past participle widowed) (transitive) To make a widow or widower of someone; to cause the death of the spouse of. (transitive, figurative) To strip of anything valued. (transitive, obsolete) To endow with a widow's right. (transitive, obsolete) To be widow to. ==== Translations ====