widow's weeds

noun

black garments worn by widows in mourning

Similar
weeds
OriginOld English wǣd →
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Meanings

nounwidow's weeds pl (plural only)
  1. datedpluralplural onlyblack garments worn by widows in mourning
  2. pluralplural onlyhobbiesa stamp bearing a portrait of Queen Victoria wearing mourning clothes

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna black garment (dress) worn by a widow as a sign of mourning

Similar
weeds
Broader
garment
Also see
weeds

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Englishwǣd“garment”
  2. Englishwidow's weeds

From (now) fossil word weeds (“garments, esp. mourning garments”), from Old English wǣd (“garment”).

More words from Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

widow's weeds. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/widow's%20weeds

MLA

“widow's weeds.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/widow's%20weeds. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “widow's weeds,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/widow's%20weeds.

Source: widow's weeds on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.