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- Dictionarywidow's weeds
plural
- 1. black clothes worn by a widow in mourning.
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The term "widow's weeds" refers to the black clothing worn (principally) by female widows during the Victorian era, which dictated a strict "etiquette of mourning" that governed both their behavior and their appearance following the deaths of their husbands.
widow's weeds. Female mourning costume. The word “weed” comes from an Old English word for “garment.”. As a phrase to wear widow's weeds simply means to be in mourning. Many cultures have had or still have a custom of wearing distinctive clothing to mark a husband's death.
May 21, 2024 · Widow's weeds are garments that are worn during a period of mourning. Many people think of the Victorian era in England when they hear the term because this era was marked by very rigid and distinctive mourning practices.
The expression widow’s weeds, however, dates from the late 1500s and describes the black clothes commonly worn by widows as a symbol of mourning. In Shakespeare’s Henry VI Part III, Act III, Scene III, Queen Margaret says, “Tell him, my mourning weeds are laid aside.”
Meaning & use. Factsheet. What does the noun widow's weeds mean? There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun widow's weeds. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence. See meaning & use. Where does the noun widow's weeds come from? Earliest known use. late 1500s.
“Widow’s Weeds” is an 18th century term for the black crepe fabric widows would often wear while mourning their loved ones. It comes from the Old English word “waed”, meaning “garment”. Prior to the Victorian period, it was considered customary to mourn lost loved ones but the Victorians took it to a whole other level.
Widow's weeds, too, referred at one time to something of a uniform, back when custom mandated a somewhat unvarying dress be worn by widows: a black gown with broad white cuffs and, in public, a crepe veil. Eventually, widow's weeds became the only prevalent application of the increasingly rare weeds.
