widow bench
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
An obsolete law term for the share of her husband's estate allowed to a widow over and above her jointure.
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 “widow bench” mean?
An obsolete law term for the share of her husband's estate allowed to a widow over and above her jointure.
Is “widow bench” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.