dower

English

/ˈdaʊ.əɹ/, [ˈdaʊ.ə(ɹ)], [ˈdaʊ.ɚ]

noun
Definitions
  • (legal) The part of or interest in a deceased husband's property provided to his widow, usually in the form of a life estate.
  • (legal) Property given by a groom directly to his bride at or before their wedding in order to legitimize the marriage; dowry.
  • (obsolete) That with which one is gifted or endowed; endowment; gift.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English dower root from Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- (give, spread out, lay out).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*deh₃-

Gloss

give, spread out, lay out

Concept
Semantic Field

Possession

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms