Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dowry

/ˈdaʊəɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.13 in modern English

Syllables
dowry
IPA
/ˈdaʊəɹi/
12
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Payment by the groom or his family to the bride's family.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Inheritance from a deceased husband to his widow.

Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

A natural gift or talent.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A large amount.

Countable; Informal; Uncountable

verb

To bestow a dowry upon.

Example Sentences

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *deh₃-, dowarye, dowarie, douaire, dōtārium, dōs

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈdaʊəɹi/
  • British English: /ˈdaʊəɹi/

Usage

Inflected Forms

dowries (plural) dowries (present, singular) dowrying (participle, present) dowried (participle, past) dowried (past)

Derived Forms

antidowry dowryless

Phrases

dowry death reverse dowry glory box hope chest

Frequently Paired Words

dowager endow glory box hope chest trousseau

Synonyms

bride price reverse dowry dower see others at bride price dowery portion

Antonyms

bride price reverse dowry dower see others at bride price

Rhymes With

lowry maori khoury lowrey khouri lourie loughrey koury loughry flowery lowery showery

Questions

How do you pronounce dowry?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdaʊəɹi/.
What does dowry mean?
Payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage.
Where does dowry come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce dowry

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “dowry”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈdaʊəɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “dowry”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “dowry” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.