dowry

[ dou-ree ]
See synonyms for dowry on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural dow·ries.
  1. Also dower. the money, goods, or estate that a wife brings to her husband at marriage.

  2. Archaic. a widow's dower.

  1. a natural gift, endowment, talent, etc.

Origin of dowry

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English dowerie, from Anglo-French douarie, from Medieval Latin dōtārium. See dot2, -ary
  • Also dow·er·y [dou-uh-ree, dou-ree] /ˈdaʊ ə ri, ˈdaʊ ri/ .

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dowry in a sentence

  • Women who had been convicted of adultery, were compelled to give a part of their dowery to their deceived husbands.

    Woman and Socialism | August Bebel
  • This dowery he regards as the equivalent of, and as fatal to him as the treasures of the Argive Helen were to Menelaus.

  • In conformity with this conception the Libyan maidens earned their dowery by their surrender.

    Woman and Socialism | August Bebel
  • And jest at this time the dowery in Loontown fell onto Elnathan, so that they all come East.

  • If this be the accurate reading, Grainnes dowery must have formed an element in the conflict.

British Dictionary definitions for dowry

dowry

/ (ˈdaʊərɪ) /


nounplural -ries
  1. the money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage

  2. (esp formerly) a gift made by a man to his bride or her parents

  1. Christianity a sum of money required on entering certain orders of nuns

  2. a natural talent or gift

  3. obsolete a widow's dower

Origin of dowry

1
C14: from Anglo-French douarie, from Medieval Latin dōtārium; see dower

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for dowry

dowry

Money, property, or material goods that a bride's family gives to the bridegroom or his family at the time of the wedding. In many cultures, the dowry not only helps to cement the relationship between the bride's and groom's families but also serves to reinforce traditional family roles and gender roles.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.