Date
Meaning & History
Meaning unknown, perhaps first used by Sir John Vanbrugh for a young widow in his play 'The Relapse' (1697). It was subsequently used by Richard Brinsley Sheridan for a widow in his play 'A Trip to Scarborough' (1777), and also appears in Dickens's 'Dombey and Son' (1848) belonging to Mrs Pipchin's niece.