noun A widow holding property or title derived from her late husband.
A reclusive dowager owned the pastures across the river, and her farmhands ran beef cattle on them.
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.
the Earl and Countess of Whiteacre, and the Earl's mother, the dowager Countess of Whiteacre
noun Any lady of dignified bearing, especially an older one.
A stately dowager entered the ballroom, and all eyes were upon her.