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dower chest

American  

noun

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


Etymology

Origin of dower chest

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

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

No bride of the old country has more pride in her dower chest than the mountain bride in her pile of quilts.

From Quilts Their Story and How to Make Them by Webster, Marie D. (Marie Daugherty)

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

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