Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

endow

/ɪnˈdaʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.43 in modern English

Syllables
en-dow
IPA
/ɪnˈdaʊ/
9
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To give property to (someone) as a gift; specifically, to provide (a person or institution) with support in the form of a permanent fund of money or other benefits.

Transitive verb

verb

To enrich or furnish with some faculty or quality.

Transitive verb

verb

To naturally furnish (with something).

Transitive verb

verb

To provide with a dower (“the portion that a widow receives from her deceased husband's property”) or a dowry (“property given to a bride”).

Archaic; Obsolete; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Late Middle English endowen, endouen, enduen, indouen, indw (“to provide with assets, a livelihood, or privileges; to bestow, grant; (figuratively) to favour; to endow”), from Anglo-Norman endouer, from Old French en- (prefix meaning ‘in, into’) + douer (“to endow”) (from Latin dōtāre (present active infinitive of dōtō (“to endow”)); modern French douer). Dōtō is derived from dōs (“dowry; endowment, gift”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- (“to give”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *deh₃-, endowen, endouer, en-, dōtāre

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ɪnˈdaʊ/
  • British English: /ɪnˈdaʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce endow?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɪnˈdaʊ/.
What does endow mean?
To give property to (someone) as a gift; specifically, to provide (a person or institution) with support in the form of a permanent fund of money or other benefits.
Where does endow come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce endow

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