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A.Word.A.Day--feme sole

feme sole (fem sol) noun, plural femes sole

A single woman, whether divorced, widowed, or never married.

[From Anglo-French feme soule, from feme (woman) + soule (single).]

"'The sheriff heavily pronounced, 'If she sued for divorce on the grounds of desertion -- which she could and would have done once he'd sailed off -- she would be declared feme sole and regain full control of her own property.'" Joan Druett; A Watery Grave; St. Martin's Minotaur; Oct 4, 2004.

"The divorce restored Ann to the status of a feme sole with the right to own and manage her own property." Thomas E. Buckley; The Great Catastrophe of My Life: Divorce in the Old Dominion; University of North Carolina Press; Sep 1, 2002.

This week's theme: words to describe women.

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