dowry

American  

[dau-ree] / ˈdaʊ ri /

Also dowery

noun

• dowries
  plural

1. Also the money, goods, or estate that a wife brings to her husband at marriage.

2. Archaic. a widow's dower.

3. a natural gift, endowment, talent, etc.

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dowry British  

/ ˈdaʊərɪ /

noun

1. the money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage

2. (esp formerly) a gift made by a man to his bride or her parents

3. Christianity a sum of money required on entering certain orders of nuns

4. a natural talent or gift

5. obsolete a widow's dower

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dowry Cultural  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dowries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of dowry

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English dowerie, from Anglo-French douarie, from Medieval Latin dōtārium. See dot ², -ary

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Explanation

In some cultures, the bride or her family pays a certain amount of money or property to the groom when a couple is married. This payment is called a dowry. Traditionally, a woman's family offered a dowry to potential husbands in order to make the match more attractive to the man and his family. The word dowry can actually mean "payment," but it can also refer to whatever property or savings a woman herself brings into a marriage. The Latin word dotare is the root of dowry, and it means "to endow or to portion out."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dowry dowries

If she can collect the dowry from Charlie, she and Stanley can sail to Australia to escape the police and live happily ever after Down Under.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2025

The film also tackles the social evil that is dowry - the practice of the bride's family gifting cash, clothes and jewellery to the groom's family.

From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2025

News of Subhash's tragic death has also galvanised men's rights activists and started a wider debate around India's tough dowry law.

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2024

His wife, he alleged, had filed "false court cases", accusing him of cruelty, dowry harassment and various other wrongdoings.

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2024

Blanca’s dowry, her monthly income, and the prospect of inheriting a considerable fortune eventually brought him around.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

The grooms in Malaysia forfeit dowries and often send money to the brides’ parents.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 12, 2023

The scourge of dowry, she says, can only be fought if young men and women start taking a stand and refuse to give or accept dowries.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2023

Others have been subjected to outright deceit, their families defrauded of dowries, honeymoon expenses and visa payments.

From New York Times ● Jun. 14, 2023

“In the early Middle Ages rents, taxes and dowries were often paid in pepper,” and at its peak, it was as valuable as gold.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2022

“What for you,” my mother would say, taking my face in her hands, “my last-born, my baby? Four dowries is too much for a man to bear.”

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

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Related Words

• ancestry
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• custom
• legacy
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