endowment

[en-dou-muhnt]

noun

1. the act of endowing.

2. the property, funds, etc., with which an institution or person is endowed.

   Synonyms: bequest, grant, gift

3. Usually endowments. an attribute of mind or body; a gift of nature.

   Synonyms: ability, talent, capacity, capability

endowment

/ ɪnˈdaʊmənt /

noun

1. 1. the source of income with which an institution, etc, is endowed

   2. the income itself

2. the act or process of endowing

3. (usually plural) natural talents or qualities

Other Word Forms

• nonendowment noun
• reendowment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of endowment¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Anglo-French endowement; equivalent to endow + -ment

Example Sentences

Universities with an endowment of $2 million per undergraduate student are asked to waive tuition for students who pursue “hard science” programs.

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While still a niche in the hedge fund industry, activist firms gained appeal for some endowments, family offices, and wealthy individuals.

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Galton “advocated the regulation of marriage and family size according to hereditary endowment of parents,” Gould noted in his classic 1981 book “The Mismeasure of Man.”

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Kaufman also gave money to schools in New York City, including four lifetime endowments for undergraduates at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

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It also made another suggestion: that UC tap into billions in unrestricted endowment funds to bridge the gap left by suspended grants.

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Related Words

• bequest 
• donation 
• fund 
• funding www.thesaurus.com
• grant 
• income 
• inheritance 
• largess www.thesaurus.com
• nest egg 
• pension 
• revenue 
• stipend 
• subsidy 
• trust