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View synonyms for dower

dower

[ dou-er ]

noun

  1. Law. the portion of a deceased husband's real property allowed to his widow for her lifetime.
  2. a natural gift or endowment.


verb (used with object)

  1. to provide with a dower or dowry.
  2. to give as a dower or dowry.

dower

/ ˈdaʊə /

noun

  1. the life interest in a part of her husband's estate allotted to a widow by law
  2. an archaic word for dowry
  3. a natural gift or talent
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


verb

  1. tr to endow
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈdowerless, adjective
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Other Words From

  • dower·less adjective
  • un·dowered adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dower1

1250–1300; Middle English dowere < Old French do ( u ) aire < Medieval Latin dōtārium. See dot 2, -ary
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dower1

C14: from Old French douaire, from Medieval Latin dōtārium, from Latin dōs gift
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Example Sentences

Neither is very old (Christmann is in his early 40s and Dower in his 30s), but Hjartarson is in no hurry.

War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War by John W. Dower.

Looking at the change from the vantage of peace, historian John Dower speaks for me when he says: “This war was madness.”

In most states this interest or dower is paramount to the claims of her husband's creditors.

When her dower is in mortgaged land, she cannot get possession until the mortgage has been paid.

In other words she loses her dower whenever her husband has no estate from which her dower can be carved out.

Whenever a marriage can be set aside for some illegality, and is not, it will sustain her dower on his death.

If eager to get the most possible, she would reject the gift of money and claim her dower rights.

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Dowelldower chest