endowment
Americannoun
-
-
the source of income with which an institution, etc, is endowed
-
the income itself
-
-
the act or process of endowing
-
(usually plural) natural talents or qualities
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Federalist Papers, No. 10 by James Madison
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Glass Menagerie
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Discovered by Duke Ellington, the musician was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2019.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said it was very unlikely Trump's appeal would succeed, partly because of regional rivalries between nations.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
The National Endowment for the Humanities was established by Congress in 1965 to fund scholarly and cultural work across the country.
From Slate • May 14, 2026
The NEH, as well as the National Endowment for the Arts, have been in the thick of it the whole time.
From Salon • May 11, 2026
Alger Hiss was the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, the nation's most prestigious research institute.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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.
