a woman whose husband is away from home for long periods of time 活寡妇；守活寡的女子 Word Originearly 16th cent. (denoting an unmarried woman with a child): from grass + widow, perhaps from the idea of the couple having lain on the grass instead of in bed. The current sense dates from the mid 19th cent; compare with Dutch grasweduwe and German Strohwitwe ‘straw widow’.