endow
Americanverb
-
to provide with or bequeath a source of permanent income
-
(usually foll by with) to provide (with qualities, characteristics, etc)
-
obsolete to provide with a dower
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One thing was clear: Flying was endowed with a sense of occasion, if only for wealthy passengers and businessmen.
From Los Angeles Times
The senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "The United States remains committed to the Declaration of Independence's recognition that all men are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights."
From BBC
"The United States remains committed to the Declaration of Independence's recognition that all men are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights," a senior State Department official said on customary condition of anonymity.
From Barron's
A nation that declared independence on the premise that men are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights” finds its own existential premise skewed and even contradicted if rights are granted otherwise.
His book reveals the amazing transformation of a young man into a fully formed writer, endowed with a concise yet suggestive style.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
