gold star wife

English

WOTD – 5 April 2021

Etymology

From gold star (“(attributively) relative of a United States soldier when the latter has been killed in action”) + wife. Gold star refers to stars of that colour traditionally shown on service flags displayed by families of members of the U.S. armed forces.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌɡəʊld stɑː ˈwaɪf/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˌɡoʊld stɑɹ ˈwaɪf/
  • Rhymes: -aɪf

Noun

gold star wife (plural gold star wives)

  1. (US military) The widow of a member of the United States armed forces who was killed in action.

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Further reading

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