dower chest

noun

1. a Pennsylvania Dutch hope chest bearing the initials of the owner.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dower chest¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

If there is one piece of furniture above another that is surrounded with a halo of romance, surely it is the dower chest!

From Project Gutenberg

Nothing, nothing was untouched, but the big dower-chest into which she had flung her wretched wedding-clothes.

From Project Gutenberg

And opposite it stood a finely-carved dower-chest with the date 1511 carved upon it.

From Project Gutenberg

It and her ebony chairs, her claw-footed tables, her harp and dower chest, had come with her from France.

From Project Gutenberg

No bride of the old country has more pride in her dower chest than the mountain bride in her pile of quilts.

From Project Gutenberg