a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
"After her husband passed away, she remained a widow for twenty years before finally finding love again."
A woman whose spouse has died (and who has not remarried); feminine of widower.
"After her husband passed away last year, she remained a widow and cared for their young son alone."
In plain English: A widow is a woman whose husband has died and she no longer has him to live with.
"The widow moved into her late husband's house after he passed away."
Usage: Use this term specifically for an unmarried female after her husband's death, distinguishing it from "widowhood" which refers to the state itself rather than the person. Avoid using the verb form in casual conversation unless describing a specific act that caused someone to lose their spouse.
To make a widow or widower of someone; to cause the death of the spouse of.
"The sudden car crash will certainly leave her as a widow, but it is not fair that he had to be made a widower in such a way."
In plain English: To be widowed means to lose your spouse when they die while you are still alive.
"The sudden bad news didn't just break his heart, but completely widowed him in his old age."
From Middle English widow, from Old English widuwe ("widow"), from Proto-West Germanic widuwā ("widow"), from Proto-Germanic widuwǭ ("widow"), from Proto-Indo-European h₁widʰéwh₂ ("widow"), possibly from h₁weydʰh₁-, *widʰ- ("to separate, split, cleave, divide"), whence also wood from Old English widu, wudu.