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more about dower
dower |
2 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Dower \Dow"er\, n. [F. douaire LL dotarium from L. dotare to endow, portion, fr dos dower; akin to Gr ? gift, and to L. dare to give See 1st {Date}, and cf {Dot} dowry, {Dotation}.] 1. That with which one is gifted or endowed; endowment; gift. How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower! --Sir J. Davies. Man in his primeval dower arrayed. --Wordsworth. 2. The property with which a woman is endowed; especially: a That which a woman brings to a husband in marriage; dowry. [Obs.] His wife brought in dower Cilicia's crown. --Dryden. b (Law) That portion of the real estate of a man which his widow enjoys during her life, or to which a woman is entitled after the death of her husband. --Blackstone. Note: Dower, in modern use is and should be distinguished from dowry. The former is a provision for a widow on her husband's death; the latter is a bride's portion on her marriage. --Abbott. {Assignment of dower}. See under {Assignment}. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: dower n 1: money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage [syn: {dowry}, {dowery}] 2: a life estate to which a wife is entitled on the death of her husband v : furnish with an endowment [syn: {endow}]
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