grass widow
A married woman whose spouse is awayA married woman whose spouse is away.
Meaning
2 sensesA married woman whose spouse is away.
Strohwitwe, grüne Witwe
соло́менная вдова́solómennaja vdová
(obsolete)An unmarried woman who has had premarital sexual relations; a former mistress.
a divorced woman or a woman who is separated from her husband
Translations
4 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
The word appears in the Germanic languages in different forms and senses, evidently beingThe word appears in the Germanic languages in different forms and senses, evidently being ancient, but the oldest (both 16th century) are English grasse wydowe and Middle Low German grasswēdewe, both meaning “girl who has lost her virginity, harlot”. Therefore “grass” in all likelihood refers to a bedding for premarital sex. Compare the expression green gown (“loss of virginity”). The girl became a “widow” in the sense that she was neither married nor a virgin. The sense then developed through “married woman who has relations in her husband’s absence” to the contemporary, softened meaning. Compare Dutch grasweduwe, Swedish gräsänka, German Strohwitwe.
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Forms
plural: grass widows| Singular | grass widow |
|---|---|
| Plural | grass widows |
regular
Synonyms
1 synonyms- a divorced woman or a woman who is separated from her husband:divorcee