endow

[en-dou]

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

2. invest, clothe, endue.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for endowing

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 endowing

Contemporary Examples of endowing

Endowing the feverish, PR-patrolled world of presidential politics with thoughtfulness and poise—now that would be radical.
Inside The Secret World of London’s National Gallery
Tim Teeman
November 8, 2014
He goes further, endowing his machines with a spiritual aura.
Zen, Motorcycles, And The Cult of Tech: How Robert Pirsig’s Classic Anticipated the Future
Nathaniel Rich
August 31, 2014
Venus enters your sign, endowing you with diplomatic energy.
What the Stars Hold for Your Week
Starsky + Cox
July 23, 2011
But it really takes paying for a building or endowing a chair to have that kind of privilege.
Dirty Secrets of College Admissions
Kathleen Kingsbury
January 9, 2009

Historical Examples of endowing

The founding or endowing of universities and public libraries by gift or bequest.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
When the poet makes his perfect selection of a word, he is endowing the word with life.
The Lyric
John Drinkwater
Since King David, Allah has not thought of endowing his prophets with musical talent.
The Book of Khalid
Ameen Rihani
He is endowing four scholarships to study the twenty per cent.
Fundamentals of Prosperity
Roger W. Babson
Mr Carnegie, in endowing education, is endowing that which he has publicly condemned.
American Sketches
Charles Whibley

British Dictionary definitions for endowing

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 endowing

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.