endow

[en-dou]

See more synonyms for endow on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to provide with a permanent fund or source of income: to endow a college.
to furnish, as with some talent, faculty, or quality; equip: Nature has endowed her with great ability.
Obsolete. to provide with a dower.

verb (used without object)

(of a life-insurance policy) to become payable; yield its conditions.

Origin of endow

1350–1400; Middle English endowen < Old French endouer, equivalent to en- en-¹ + douer < Latin dōtāre to dower, equivalent to dōt- (stem of dōs) dowry + -āre infinitive suffix

Related formsen·dow·er, nounre·en·dow, verb (used with object)su·per·en·dow, verb (used with object)un·en·dowed, adjectiveun·en·dow·ing, adjectivewell-en·dowed, adjective

Synonyms for endow

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2. invest, clothe, endue.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for endow

subsidize, enable, enrich, empower, bestow, enhance, donate, organize, supply, contribute, back, subscribe, bequeath, sponsor, establish, endue, will, grant, provide, support

Examples from the Web for endow

Contemporary Examples of endow

So we now endow somewhat Islamicism, which we would condemn with the greatest contempt if it were a fundamentalist Christianity.
Sunday Q&A: Josef Joffe on the Myth of American Decline
Michael Moynihan
November 17, 2013
To expect him to control events would be to endow him with a power that no president has possessed.
How Obama Got Fierce on Foreign Policy: James Mann’s 'The Obamians'
Jacob Heilbrunn
June 15, 2012
Just this year, Betsy and Dick Devos, trustees from Michigan, pledged $22 million to endow an art management program.
Washington's Richest Power Players
Sandra McElwaine
May 19, 2010

Historical Examples of endow

Youth is prone to endow its opinions with all the dignity of certain knowledge.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
What was lacking in his power that he could not endow them with life?
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola
Small beginnings of the fortune that was to found and endow asylums!
Hidden Hand
Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth
What he did was to endow the church with this admirable piece of head-gear.
The Gypsies
Charles G. Leland
But He will endow her with all His wealth, and raise her to sit with Him on a throne forever.
The Wedding Ring
T. De Witt Talmage

British Dictionary definitions for endow

endow

verb (tr)

to provide with or bequeath a source of permanent income
(usually foll by with) to provide (with qualities, characteristics, etc)
obsolete to provide with a dower

Derived Formsendower, noun

Word Origin for endow

C14: from Old French endouer, from en- 1 + douer, from Latin dōtāre, from dōs dowry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for endow

late 14c., indowen "provide an income for," from Anglo-French endover, from en- "in" + Old French douer "endow," from Latin dotare "bestow" (see dowry). Related: Endowed; endowing.