dowry
Also dower. the money, goods, or estate that a wife brings to her husband at marriage.
Archaic. a widow's dower.
a natural gift, endowment, talent, etc.
Origin of dowry
1- Also dow·er·y [dou-uh-ree, dou-ree] /ˈdaʊ ə ri, ˈdaʊ ri/ .
Words Nearby dowry
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use dowry in a sentence
In 2016, when she got married herself, what she wanted for her dowry was an AC and a refrigerator.
No power, no fans, no AC: The villagers fighting to survive India’s deadly heatwaves | Snigdha Poonam | July 5, 2022 | MIT Technology ReviewAfter his father’s health deteriorated, Faruqui assumed still greater responsibilities—his three sisters had to be married, and weddings meant dowries.
How An Indian Stand Up Comic Found Himself Arrested for a Joke He Didn't Tell | Sonia Faleiro | February 10, 2021 | TimeI found that these women often give consent to these marriages to escape poverty and the burden of dowry.
Three Women: Stories Of Indian Trafficked Brides | LGBTQ-Editor | October 5, 2020 | No Straight NewsAssam and West Bengal, meanwhile, are known as “source states” – localities struggling with poverty, the aftermath of natural disasters and the burden of the dowry system.
Three Women: Stories Of Indian Trafficked Brides | LGBTQ-Editor | October 5, 2020 | No Straight NewsEach successful hit contributes to a virtual “anti dowry fund.”
Once the dowry has been cashed, there is no financial reason to keep the wife around.
The woman is a commodity to make money—the dowry becomes a business transaction.
The full document is quoted in a new book by Avi Raz, The Bride and the dowry, complete with the typing errors I then made.
The groom has to give the bride a dowry to make the contract valid, and that dowry is for her and her alone to use as she wishes.
Mohammad Was Not a Womanizer, and Other Common Misconceptions About Islam Debunked | Olga M. Davidson | September 13, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTHe tried to marry his daughter without a dowry to some man who was intoxicated with nobility.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois ChristopheIn 1838 he married the daughter of Moreau (de l'Oise), who brought him a very large dowry.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois ChristopheGive them a suitable dowry, take care of them, and speak to them always like a friend.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)This money she used as a dowry and it aided in consummating her marriage with Cerizet.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois ChristopheHer family—that of the bourgeoisie of Nancy—fooled Castanier about the size of her dowry and her "expectations."
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
British Dictionary definitions for dowry
/ (ˈdaʊərɪ) /
the money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage
(esp formerly) a gift made by a man to his bride or her parents
Christianity a sum of money required on entering certain orders of nuns
a natural talent or gift
obsolete a widow's dower
Origin of dowry
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for dowry
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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