endow

American  

[en-dou] / ɛnˈdaʊ /

verb (used with object)

1. to provide with a permanent fund or source of income.

   to endow a college.

2. to furnish, as with some talent, faculty, or quality; equip.

   Nature has endowed her with great ability.

   Synonyms:

   endue, clothe, invest

3. Obsolete. to provide with a dower.

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verb (used without object)

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

endow British  

/ ɪnˈdaʊ /

verb

1. to provide with or bequeath a source of permanent income

2. (usually foll by with) to provide (with qualities, characteristics, etc)

3. obsolete to provide with a dower

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Other Word Forms

• endower noun
• reendow verb (used with object)
• superendow verb (used with object)
• unendowing adjective

Etymology

Origin of endow

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

Example Sentences

As public funding for higher education has eroded, universities have increasingly turned to wealthy donors to underwrite major projects and supplement budgets by endowing professorships and research centers.

From Salon

And Salieri seems more of hybrid creature, as though a villain out of Christopher Marlowe had suddenly been endowed with Shakespearean self-awareness.

From Los Angeles Times

Askell’s aim is to endow Claude with a sense of morality—a digital soul that guides the millions of conversations it has with people every week.

From The Wall Street Journal

The aim is to endow Claude with a sense of morality—a digital soul that guides the millions of conversations it has with people every week.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some have endowed their orders with moral condemnation.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bestow
• donate
• empower
• enable
• enhance
• enrich
• subsidize