'widower' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'widewa,' where 'wid-' meant 'to separate' and '-ewa' was a suffix indicating a person.

'widewa' transformed into the Middle English word 'widowere,' and eventually became the modern English word 'widower'.

Initially, it meant 'a man who has lost his wife,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.