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

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

From Mary Ware's Promised Land by Goss, John

This is considered one of the best examples of chests in existence, being wonderfully carved, of solid oak, and probably used originally as a dower chest.

From Remodeled Farmhouses by Northend, Mary H.

The filling of a dower chest was one part of it, and the setting of infinite stitches, each as perfect as a tiny pearl, in much "fair and broidered raiment" was another.

From Mary Ware's Promised Land by Goss, John

In the Castle Museum there is another chest made for Queen Philippa in 1333—a veritable dower chest.

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

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