(~s)
1.
You use ~ to refer to the wife of a dead duke, emperor, or other man of high rank.
...the Dowager Countess Spencer...
Nobody was allowed to eat in the Empress Dowager’s presence.
ADJ: ADJ n, n ADJ
•
Dowager is also a noun.
N-COUNT
2.
If you describe a woman as a ~, you mean that she is old and rich or looks important. (LITERARY)
...like stately ~s on a cruise.
N-COUNT