The meaning of some terms and phrases changes over time or from one region to another. “Grass widow” is one of those phrases. It can mean a woman whose husband is temporarily away from home–perhaps for an extended period of time for employment. It can also mean a woman who is actually divorced and who does not want to refer to herself as being divorced.
Dictionaries can be one place to discover these differences, but dictionaries are not perfect.
Searching contemporary newspapers or literature can be a good way to get a better fix on what a word or a phrase means at the time and place where you have seen it used.
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