dowry

American  

[dau-ree] / ˈdaʊ ri /

Also dowery

noun

• dowries
  plural

1. Also the money, goods, or estate that a wife brings to her husband at marriage.

2. Archaic. a widow's dower.

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

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dowry British  

/ ˈdaʊərɪ /

noun

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

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

4. a natural talent or gift

5. obsolete a widow's dower

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dowry Cultural  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dowries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of dowry

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English dowerie, from Anglo-French douarie, from Medieval Latin dōtārium. See dot ², -ary

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Explanation

In some cultures, the bride or her family pays a certain amount of money or property to the groom when a couple is married. This payment is called a dowry. Traditionally, a woman's family offered a dowry to potential husbands in order to make the match more attractive to the man and his family. The word dowry can actually mean "payment," but it can also refer to whatever property or savings a woman herself brings into a marriage. The Latin word dotare is the root of dowry, and it means "to endow or to portion out."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dowry dowries

Twisha's death has made national headlines and has once against brought the issue of dowry deaths into the spotlight.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

News of Subhash's tragic death has also galvanised men's rights activists and started a wider debate around India's tough dowry law.

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2024

Their helpline number, he says, receives about 86,000 calls every year and most cases are about matrimonial disputes that include false dowry cases and attempts at extortion.

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2024

Budi, 55, sometimes receives 10% of the dowry for driving and interpreting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2024

Our room was very plain, so I hung my dowry quilt on one of the walls to make the room more cheerful.

From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan

The men in Malaysia forfeit dowries and often send money to the brides’ parents.

From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2024

Others, however, have been subjected to outright deceit, their families defrauded of dowries, honeymoon expenses and visa payments.

From New York Times ● Jun. 13, 2023

Even though India outlawed dowries in 1961, the centuries-old tradition of the bride's family gifting cash, gold and other expensive items to the groom's family remains rampant.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2022

Women retained the ownership of their dowries at marriage, could initiate divorce, and controlled their own inheritances.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020

“What for you,” my mother would say, taking my face in her hands, “my last-born, my baby? Four dowries is too much for a man to bear.”

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

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Related Words

• ancestry
• culture
• custom
• legacy
• right
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