Dower
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈdaʊ.əɹ/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Dower is a noun meaning (law) The part of or interest in a deceased husband's property provided to his widow, usually in the form of a life estate.
Meaning
(law) The part of or interest in a deceased husband's property provided to his widow, usually in the form of a life estate.
More Meanings
- (law) Property given by a groom to his bride or her family, at or before their wedding, in order to legitimize the marriage
- (transitive) To give a dower or dowry to.
- (transitive) To endow.
- Alternative spelling of dougher.
- (obsolete) That with which one is gifted or endowed; endowment; gift.
Example Sentences
Man in his primeval dower arrayed.
How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower!
He had married a lady well educated and softly nurtured, but not dowered with worldly wealth.
In New Bedford, fathers, they say, give whales for dowers to their daughters, and portion off their nieces with a few porpoises a-piece.
Word Forms
- dowers
- dowering
- dowered
Synonyms for dower
Depending on context, synonyms include dowry, endow, dowery.
Antonyms for dower
Common opposites include curtesy, dowry.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include endow, dowry, dowery, sk, dot, jointure.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.