dowager's

Titled widow's possession

Dowager's appears almost exclusively in the phrase dowager's hump, the rounded upper-back curvature common in elderly women with osteoporosis.

The term references a dowager—a widow holding property or title from her late husband—evoking the stooped posture associated with aging aristocratic women.

aristocratic

hump

Rounded raised mass

widowBereaved wife, unmarried since
estateProperty and grounds
inheritanceProperty received from ancestors

title · nobility · duchess · countess · empress · matriarch · peerage · succession · jointure · rank

medical

hump

Rounded raised mass

kyphosisHunched back condition
curvatureDeviation from flatness
postureBody position, alignment

spine · thoracic · stooped · osteoporosis · vertebrae · hunched · compression · fracture · elderly · rounded

Opposites

marital/titular status

dowager'sbride's

Of the marrying woman

wife's · spouse's

generational position

dowager'smaiden's

Of an unwed girl

successor's · girl's · youth's

source of status/title

dowager'sheir's

Belonging to inheritance recipient

princess's · incumbent's

Phrases

dowager queenWidowed queen retaining title
queen dowagerDeceased king's widow
dowager empressWidowed imperial consort
dowager humpCurved upper spine prominence
dowager's humpSpinal curvature causing hunched back
empress dowagerWidow of deceased emperor

Family

dowager, dowagers

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G