noun
Historical or formal term for a man's second wife, especially after the death or divorce of the first wife. Not used in everyday modern conversation; 後妻 (ごさい) is the common contemporary word.
江戸時代の大名は、正室が亡くなると継室を迎えることがあった。
In the Edo period, a daimyo would sometimes take a second wife after his legal wife passed away.