temptress

[Jesse Sheidlower]

On Wed, Feb 05, 2003 at 09:33:13AM -0500, Kathleen E. Miller wrote:
> At 09:05 AM 2/5/2003 -0500, Mr. Landau wrote:
> >Now for a nomenclature problem.  A woman who marries a King becomes the
> >Queen
> >Dowager.  A man such as William III who marries the Queen and becomes King
> >is what?  King Dowager?  King Dowagerer?
>
>
> I thought that dowager signified widowship. Therefore, it should be "a
> woman who marries a King becomes Queen, and after the king dies she becomes
> Queen Dowager." No?

Yes, but I think "Dowager Queen" is the more usual form. See OED's
entry for _dowager_, which makes it clear that it refers to a woman
whose husband has died, leaving her with some title or property.

Jesse Sheidlower