dower
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
dower¹
- /ˈdaʊ.əɹ/
- [ˈdaʊ.ə(ɹ)] UK
- [ˈdaw.ɚ] US
Sounds like dour (for some speakers) · Rhymes with -aʊ.ə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English dower, dowere, from Old French doeire, from Medieval Latin dōtārium, from Latin dōs. Doublet of dowry.
noun dowers
-
The part of or interest in a deceased husband's property provided to his widow, usually in the form of a life estate.
Opposite: curtesy
-
Property given by a groom to his bride or her family, at or before their wedding, in order to legitimize the marriage
[…] how features are abroad, / I am skill-less of; but, by my modesty,— / The jewel in my dower,—I would not wish / Any companion in the world but you […]
Similar: bride price, reverse dowry, dowry · Opposite: dowry
- That with which one is gifted or endowed; endowment; gift. How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower!
verb dowers · dowering · dowered
- To give a dower or dowry to. He had married a lady well educated and softly nurtured, but not dowered with worldly wealth.
- To endow. It was nothing of this earth, but a piece of the great outside; and as such dowered with outside properties and obedient to outside laws.
dower²
Rhymes with -əʊə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English dower, equivalent to dough + -er
noun dowers
- Alternative spelling of dougher
Dower³
proper noun Dowers
- A surname.
Translations
Talk about this word "dower." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dower. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. dower. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dower "dower." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dower.Cite this
@misc{dower_2026,
title = {dower},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dower},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
