Definition

1. Noun:
   • A widow: A woman whose spouse has died and who has not remarried. This is the primary and most common meaning.
   • A young or relatively young widow: The term often carries a connotation of the woman being of a marriageable age or not elderly, distinguishing her from a more general term for widow.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Cô ấy là một gái góa trẻ. (She is a young widow.)
  • Ngôi làng có vài người gái góa sau chiến tranh. (The village had several widows after the war.)
  • Cuộc sống của một gái góa thường rất khó khăn. (The life of a widow is often very difficult.)

Advanced Usage

• The term can sometimes be used in literary or sociological contexts to discuss the social status, challenges, or perceptions of widows in traditional Vietnamese society.
• It may appear in historical narratives or folk stories describing the plight or resilience of widows.

Variants and Related Words

• Góa phụ (n): A more formal or general term for "widow," without the specific connotation of youth.

  • Góa phụ được hưởng trợ cấp. (The widow receives a pension.)

• Đàn bà góa (n): Another term for a widowed woman.

  • Khu phố có nhiều đàn bà góa. (The neighborhood has many widowed women.)

Synonyms

• Widow: A woman who has lost her spouse by death.
• Relict: An archaic term for a widow.

Related Idioms and Expressions

• Gái góa chồng: Emphasizes the state of being widowed. Similar in meaning to the base term.

  • Số phận gái góa chồng thật đáng thương. (The fate of a widow is truly pitiable.)

• While not a direct idiom, the concept of "gái góa" is central to many Vietnamese proverbs and folk sayings about loyalty, hardship, and remarriage.

noun

1. widow