What is the Latin word for widow?

The usual Latin words for “widow” are viduus, dēstinō, alendus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“widow” in Latin

viduusdestitute, deprived; widowed, bereaved dēstinōto bind, fasten, secure, fix, make fast; to establish, determine, resolve, consider, predict, destine; to intend, devote alenduswhich is to be nourished; which is to be fed, which is to be maintained, which is to be developed; which is to be kept,

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

widow

vidua. To become a widow, viduam fieri (Cic.); in viduitate relinqui (Liv., 40, 4): a widow’s portion, *pecunia viduae alendae, sustinendae data, destinata; *annua, quae viduis praebentur: a widow’s fund, *aerarium viduis sustinendis, alendis; aerarium viduarium (Wyttenback).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for widow?: The usual Latin words for “widow” are viduus, dēstinō, alendus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.