Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dowager

/ˈdaʊəd͡ʒɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.85 in modern English

Syllables: dowa-ger
IPA: /ˈdaʊəd͡ʒɚ/

12

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A widow holding property or title derived from her late husband.

noun

The widow of the holder of a title (usually a member of the peerage or a baronet); used in combination with the title she held during her husband's lifetime.

noun

Any lady of dignified bearing, especially an older one.

Example Sentences

"A reclusive dowager owned the pastures across the river, and her farmhands ran beef cattle on them."
"“I don't mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera, the gorged dowagers, the worn-out, passionless men, the enervated matrons of the summer capital, the chlorotic squatters on huge yachts,[…]!”"
"the Earl and Countess of Whiteacre, and the Earl's mother, the dowager Countess of Whiteacre"
"Sir George Sitwell, Bt. and Lady Sitwell, and Sir George's mother, the dowager Lady Sitwell"
"A stately dowager entered the ballroom, and all eyes were upon her."

Etymology

From Middle French douagere, douagiere, from douage (“dower”), from the verb douer (“to endow”), from Latin dōtō (“to endow”), from dōs (“dowry”).

Origin

Source language: Middle French

Word Breakdown

Root: douagere, dōtō

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈdaʊəd͡ʒɚ/
British English: /ˈdaʊədʒə/

Inflected Forms

dowagers (plural)

Derived Forms

dowagerial dowagerish dowagerism dowagerlike dowagerly

Phrases

dowager's hump empress dowager queen dowager

Frequently Paired Words

dower

Questions

How do you pronounce dowager?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdaʊəd͡ʒɚ/.
What does dowager mean?: A widow holding property or title derived from her late husband.
Where does dowager come from?: It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce dowager

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “dowager”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈdaʊəd͡ʒɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “dowager” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.