dowry
/ˈdaʊəɹi/ noun, verb
Forms dowries dowrying dowried
- noun Payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage.
- noun (less common) Payment by the groom or his family to the bride's family.
- noun (obsolete) Inheritance from a deceased husband to his widow.
- noun A natural gift or talent.
- noun (informal) A large amount.
- verb To bestow a dowry upon.
Synonyms
bride price reverse dowry dower see others at bride price dowery portion
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English dowarye, dowerie, from Anglo-Norman dowarie, douarie, from Old French douaire, from Medieval Latin dōtārium, from Latin dōs. Doublet of dower.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A gift; endowment. [Obs.] Spenser.
- noun The money, goods, or estate, which a woman brings to her husband in marriage; a bride's portion on her marriage. See Note under Dower.
Etymology [Contr. from dowery; cf. LL. dotarium. See Dower.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “dowry”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details