Sentence:  But Blanche had been able to maintain a serene and assured composure in the face of her widowed <WSD>mother</WSD> 's continued carping , had been able to resist her urgings to date anyone who offered the slightest possibility of matrimony . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)