grass widow
Preserved but no longer current.
Formerly, an unmarried woman who has had a child; but now, a wife temporarily parted from her husband; also, by extension, a divorced woman. The word has nothing to do with grace widow (a widow by courtesy). The phrase grass widower is used in the same sense.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “grass widow” mean?
Formerly, an unmarried woman who has had a child; but now, a wife temporarily parted from her husband; also, by extension, a divorced woman. The word has nothing to do with grace widow (a widow by courtesy). The phrase grass widower is used in the same sense.
Is “grass widow” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.