endow

American  

[en-dou] / ɛnˈdaʊ /

verb (used with object)

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)

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

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

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

Example Sentences

Askell’s aim is to endow Claude with a sense of morality—a digital soul that guides the millions of conversations it has with people every week.

From The Wall Street Journal

The aim is to endow Claude with a sense of morality—a digital soul that guides the millions of conversations it has with people every week.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some have endowed their orders with moral condemnation.

From Los Angeles Times

And yet in nature’s heart I felt liberated and endowed with a splendor beyond anything humans could ever purchase.

From Literature

Language, which evolved within the past 200,000 years, endowed our species with the ability to plan for the future and reflect on the past, thus extending our selves backward and forward in time.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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