endow

American  

[en-dou] / ɛnˈdaʊ /

verb (used with object)

endows, present (3rd person singular) endowed, past participle, past endowing present participle

1. to provide with a permanent fund or source of income.

   to endow a college.

2. to furnish, as with some talent, faculty, or quality; equip.

   Nature has endowed her with great ability.

   Synonyms:

   endue, clothe, invest

3. Obsolete. to provide with a dower.

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verb (used without object)

endows, present (3rd person singular) endowed, past participle, past endowing present participle

1. (of a life-insurance policy) to become payable; yield its conditions.

endow British  

/ ɪnˈdaʊ /

verb

1. to provide with or bequeath a source of permanent income

2. (usually foll by with) to provide (with qualities, characteristics, etc)

3. obsolete to provide with a dower

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superendow
  verb (used with object)
• unendowing
  adjective
• reendow
  verb (used with object)
• endower
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has endowed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have endowed
  perfect
• have been endowing
  perfect progressive
• am endowing
  progressive 1st person singular
• are endowing
  progressive
• is endowing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• endows
  singular 3rd person
• has been endowing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• endowing
  participle

Past

• had endowed
  perfect
• was endowing
  progressive singular
• had been endowing
  perfect progressive
• were endowing
  progressive plural
• endowed
  participle
• endowed
  simple

Future

• will endow
  simple
• will have endowed
  perfect
• will be endowing
  progressive
• will have been endowing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of endow

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English endowen, from Old French endouer, equivalent to en- en- ¹ + douer, from Latin dōtāre “to dower,” equivalent to dōt- (stem of dōs ) “dowry” + -āre infinitive suffix

Explanation

To endow is to furnish, but not with furniture. If you've been endowed with something, it means you've been given a gift — most likely a gift that can't be returned or exchanged, like a sense of humor or athletic ability or trust. We usually use endow to refer to an ability or a quality, but you can endow someone with money, too. Endow is related to the word dowry, which is a gift that a man — or sometimes a woman — receives from his or her fiancé’s family before the wedding. The practice of giving dowries has fallen out of fashion in most Western countries, but there are still many parts of the world where it's common for the bride's family to provide the groom with an endowment of land and livestock.

Related Words

• bestow
• donate
• empower
• enable
• enhance
• enrich
• subsidize