noun
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the source of income with which an institution, etc, is endowed
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the income itself
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the act or process of endowing
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(usually plural) natural talents or qualities
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of endowment
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Anglo-French endowement; equivalent to endow + -ment
Explanation
An endowment is a gift. It might be money given to an institution like a college. Or, an endowment might be a natural gift, say of a physical attribute or a talent. If you lack the endowment of musical talent, you could play the tambourine. To endow means "to give or bequeath," and the background of the word endowment goes back to the 15th Century, where it was used to refer to money or property that is given to an institution. An example can be found in the National Endowment for the Arts, an organization dedicated to providing grants to fund artistic endeavors. Your natural endowments — speed, agility, endurance — make you an excellent soccer player. If only you could wake up in time for practice.
Vocabulary lists containing endowment
Giving Words
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The Federalist Papers, No. 10 by James Madison
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The Glass Menagerie
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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.
“We obviously hope for every co-investment to get this large,” Scott Wilson, WashU’s endowment chief, wrote in an email, “but few businesses compound at this rate for such a long period of time.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
The University of North Carolina system, which serves 17 institutions, has roughly 10% of its endowment tied up in SpaceX, according to people familiar with the endowment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Stanford’s endowment, which managed $47.7 billion at the end of June, also gained exposure through other managers, including venture firms Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Thrive Capital, and the hedge fund Darsana, the people said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
There’s the investment manager of the endowment at Washington University in St. Louis who plunked down $50 million into SpaceX External link nearly a decade ago, which is now worth in excess of $1 billion.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
Even though I had been at Hampden only a few days, I was already accustomed to the official accounts of financial hardship, of limited endowment, of corners cut.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
