grass widow

noun
1.
a woman who is separated, divorced, or lives apart from her husband.
2.
a woman whose husband is away from home frequently or for a long time, as on business or to pursue a sport or hobby.
3.
Archaic.
  1. a discarded mistress.
  2. a woman who has borne an illegitimate child.
Origin
1520-30; the first element perhaps orig. alluding to a bed of grass, hay, or the like; compare Dutch grasweduwe, German Strohwittwe literally, straw-widow
Related forms
grasswidowhood, noun
British Dictionary definitions for grass widow

grass widow

noun
1.
a woman divorced, separated, or living away from her spouse
2.
a woman whose spouse is regularly away for short periods
Word Origin
C16, meaning a discarded mistress: perhaps an allusion to a grass bed as representing an illicit relationship; compare bastard; C19 in the modern sense
Word Origin and History for grass widow
n.

1520s, originally "discarded mistress" (cf. German Strohwitwe, literally "straw-widow"), probably in reference to casual bedding. Sense of "married woman whose husband is absent" is from 1846.

[G]rasse wydowes ... be yet as seuerall as a barbours chayre and neuer take but one at onys. [More, 1528]

Slang definitions & phrases for grass widow

grass widow

noun phrase

A woman who is alone because of divorce, separation, rejection, etc

[1839+; because her husband is still above the grass rather than under it]


Idioms and Phrases with grass widow

grass widow

A woman who is separated from her husband, either by divorce or temporary absence. For example, She's a grass widow these days, with Herb traveling to golf tournaments all over the country. The expression dates from the 16th century, when it referred to the mother of an illegitimate child, grass presumably alluding to the open-air setting of the child's conception.