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’.