gold star wife
English
WOTD – 5 April 2021
Etymology
A World War II-era service flag. The gold star indicates that the family displaying the flag had a relative in the United States armed forces killed in action, while the blue stars indicate two relatives on active duty.
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/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˌɡoʊld stɑɹ ˈwaɪf/
- Rhymes: -aɪf
Noun
gold star wife (plural gold star wives)
- (US military) The widow of a member of the United States armed forces who was killed in action.
Hypernyms
Translations
widow of a member of the United States armed forces who was killed in action
See also
Further reading
Gold Star Wives of America on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
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