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
Related Words
rightcustomculturelegacyancestrytraditionendowmentskilltalentgiftdowryoutlookprecedencerankspherestandingprosperityfootingstatestationExamples from the Web for dowry
Contemporary Examples
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 DebunkedOlga M. Davidson
September 13, 2012
Girls are seen as a burden, as the family must pay a dowry to the men they eventually marry.
Historical Examples
Accept them for a dowry; and allow me to claim one privilege in return.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
The dowry left to me by my father was ample enough for the dowry of a nun.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
The bridegroom is nevertheless obliged to pay the dowry demanded.
The Sexual QuestionAugust Forel
To the husband, the wife tenders no dowry; but the husband, to the wife.
Tacitus on GermanyTacitus
In 1836 he married Angele Sicardot, who brought him a dowry of ten thousand francs.
A Zola DictionaryJ. G. Patterson
dowry
- 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
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for dowry
n.
early 14c., from Anglo-French dowarie, Old French doaire (late 13c.) "dower, dowry, gift," from Medieval Latin dotarium, from Latin dotare "to endow, portion," from dos (genitive dotis) "marriage portion," from PIE *do-ti (cf. Sanskrit dadati, Greek didonai, Old Church Slavonic dati, Lithuanian duoti, Armenian tam, all meaning "to give"), from root *do- "to give." Related to Latin donum "a giving, gift;" dare "to give" (see date (n.1)).
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.