dower
[ˈdaw.ɚ]
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.42 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The part of or interest in a deceased husband's property provided to his widow, usually in the form of a life estate.
noun
Property given by a groom to his bride or her family, at or before their wedding, in order to legitimize the marriage
noun
name
A surname.
Example Sentences
- "[…] 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 […]"
- "In New Bedford, fathers, they say, give whales for dowers to their daughters, and portion off their nieces with a few porpoises a-piece."
- "How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower!"
- "Man in his primeval dower arrayed."
- "For though God had bestowed on her the rare dower of a fine mind, He had not added to it the much more common, though infinitely less precious gift, of a quick intellect."
- "He had married a lady well educated and softly nurtured, but not dowered with worldly wealth."
Etymology
From Middle English dower, dowere, from Old French doeire, from Medieval Latin dōtārium, from Latin dōs. Doublet of dowry.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: [ˈdaw.ɚ]
- British English: [ˈdaʊ.ə(ɹ)]
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
dower house
bride price