From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdowagerdow‧a‧ger /ˈdaʊədʒə $ -ər/ noun [countable] 1 CLASS IN SOCIETYa woman from a high social class who has land or a title from her dead husband the dowager Duchess of Devonshire2 informalWOMAN a respected and impressive old lady
Examples from the Corpus
dowager• Her acne hadn't cleared up, and she was trying to look like a dowager.• The morning-coated manager had recognized them and was being proprietary with them in front of a dowager customer.• Only a century ago, a fair proportion of us would have died in childbirth, or been dubbed dowagers by 40.• Provision needed to be made for dowager widows, and for younger sons and for daughters, and perhaps for other persons.• They, together with the custody of the young earl, were given to the dowager countess and so remained under Herbert control.• the dowager empress• The dowager looked on and smiled and thought courteously about the people.Origin dowager (1500-1600) Old French douagiere, from douer “to give, endow” 