endowment

American  

[en-dou-muhnt] / ɛnˈdaʊ mənt /

noun

• endowments
  plural

1. the act of endowing.

2. the property, funds, etc., with which an institution or person is endowed.

   Synonyms:

   bequest, grant, gift

3. Usually endowments. an attribute of mind or body; a gift of nature.

   Synonyms:

   ability, talent, capacity, capability

---

endowment British  

/ ɪnˈdaʊmənt /

noun

1. 1. the source of income with which an institution, etc, is endowed

   2. the income itself

2. the act or process of endowing

3. (usually plural) natural talents or qualities

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonendowment
  noun
• reendowment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• endowments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of endowment

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Anglo-French endowement; equivalent to endow + -ment

Explanation

An endowment is a gift. It might be money given to an institution like a college. Or, an endowment might be a natural gift, say of a physical attribute or a talent. If you lack the endowment of musical talent, you could play the tambourine. To endow means "to give or bequeath," and the background of the word endowment goes back to the 15th Century, where it was used to refer to money or property that is given to an institution. An example can be found in the National Endowment for the Arts, an organization dedicated to providing grants to fund artistic endeavors. Your natural endowments — speed, agility, endurance — make you an excellent soccer player. If only you could wake up in time for practice.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

endowment endowments

Pressimone denies $2.8 million had been taken from the restricted endowment prior to his departure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Last year, Quincy University in Illinois borrowed about $6 million from its endowment “for cash flow needs,” without permission from the attorney general, according to a 2025 audit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

After tax, it would have returned 8% annually, crushing the endowment portfolio.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Investing heavily in nontraded assets is often called “the Yale model,” after David Swensen, the brilliant manager of the Yale University endowment, who died in 2021.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

According to the linguistic school currently on top, human beings are all born with a genetic endowment for recognizing and formulating language.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Florino, of the Philanthropy Roundtable, said when schools spend money from restricted endowments they’re often playing a losing hand and can’t stop themselves from gambling their last few dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

The tax on endowments maxes out at 8%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

“What happened during that period was that a consensus emerged,” Eustis said, noting that it was expressed in the form of national endowments, state arts agencies, public policy institutes and corporate philanthropic departments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

In “Notes on the State of Virginia” he acknowledged that in endowments of the heart—he cited integrity, benevolence, gratitude and fidelity—nature “will be found to have done them justice.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

In the north, in fact, the areas with the poorest natural endowments and the greatest susceptibility to drought were the most populous and successful.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• bequest
• donation
• fund
• funding
• grant
• income
• inheritance
• largess
• nest egg
• pension
• revenue
• stipend
• subsidy
• trust