dowry

Also dow·er·y

[dou-ree]

noun

plural

dowries 

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.

dowry

/ 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

dowry

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dowry¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dowry¹

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

Example Sentences

But instead of navigating society balls and dowries, Pickett's modern Emma is poking her nose into her friends' online dating profiles, having returned home after failing her exams at Oxford University.

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If she can collect the dowry from Charlie, she and Stanley can sail to Australia to escape the police and live happily ever after Down Under.

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But the young man said he was grateful that since he began mining five years ago, he has been able to save a little money for a dowry and is now married with children.

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Forced child marriages more than doubled in four regions of Eastern Africa hit hardest by drought, as families scrambled to secure dowries to survive, it noted.

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The islands were gifted to Scotland, along with Shetland, by King Christian I of Denmark and Norway in 1472 as security for a wedding dowry.

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Related Words

• ancestry 
• culture 
• custom 
• legacy 
• right 
• tradition