dower chest

American  

noun

1. a Pennsylvania Dutch hope chest bearing the initials of the owner.

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Etymology

Origin of dower chest

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

If there is one piece of furniture above another that is surrounded with a halo of romance, surely it is the dower chest!

From Chats on Household Curios by Burgess, Fred. W. (Frederick William)

In her dower chest, beneath the piles of heavy, yellowed linen, was a small jewel case.

From A Spinner in the Sun by Reed, Myrtle

He wouldn't wait for the filling of a dower chest.

From Mary Ware's Promised Land by Goss, John

It and her ebony chairs, her claw-footed tables, her harp and dower chest, had come with her from France.

From Old Kaskaskia by Catherwood, Mary Hartwell

They set aside a few of their most precious belongings to be stored, like Grandma's grandma's painted dower chest, full of treasures, and Grandpa's tall desk and Rose-Ellen's dearest doll.

From Across the Fruited Plain by Means, Florence Crannell