Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Money or property brought by a bride to her husband at marriage. Also called dower.
- n. A sum of money required of a postulant at a convent.
- n. A natural endowment or gift; a talent.
- n. Archaic See dower.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The money, goods, or estate which a woman brings to her husband in marriage; the portion given with a wife; dower. See dower and dot.
- n. Any gift or reward in view of marriage.
- n. That with which one is endowed; gift; endowment; possession.
Wiktionary
- n. Property or payment given by one spouse or his/her family to the other spouse or her/his family at time of marriage. (In some cultures, the dowry is given from wife to husband, in others vice versa.)
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. obsolete A gift; endowment.
- n. The money, goods, or estate, which a woman brings to her husband in marriage; a bride's portion on her marriage. See Note under Dower.
- n. A gift or presents for the bride, on espousal. See Dower.
WordNet 3.0
- n. money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage
Etymologies
- Middle English douerie, from Anglo-Norman douarie, from Medieval Latin dōtārium, dōārium, dōāria, dower; see dower. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Jenny shot back, realizing immediately that her being upset by visions conjured up by the word dowry had made that come out sounding as if she somehow considered it an insult to have it implied she was Egyptian.”
“The girl was too old, – every day of twenty years, – but three hundred rubles in dowry, with board after marriage, not to mention handsome presents to the bridegroom, easily offset the bride's age.”
“I think Miss Anville the loveliest of her sex; and, were I a marrying man, she, of all the women I have seen, I would fix upon for a wife: but I believe that not even the philosophy of your Lordship would recommend me to a connection of that sort, with a girl of obscure birth, whose only dowry is her beauty, and who is evidently in a state of dependency.”
Evelina: or, The History of a Young Lady's Entrance Into the World
“Professor Veena Oldenburg powerfully challenges even the usual portrayal of women being killed for dowry, which is linked with Hindu culture.”
The Huffington Post: Pankaj Jain, Ph.D.: Hinduism And Modernity
“With President Pratibha Patil giving assent to the newly revamped and amended CrPC (Amendment) Act 2008, and once the amended law comes into force, Section 498A (popularly known as dowry law) would be rendered a toothless penal provision as errant husbands and in-laws would no longer face immediate arrests shunting them to jail.”
Husbands Relax! New Criminal Procedure Renders IPC Sec 498A Toothless
“Such gifts, called a dowry, are common in the Near East today.”
“The women of our country have to face daily patriarchal violence and there are many so-called dowry deaths each year.”
“There is even one principle against dowry, which is extraordinary considering the attitudes in many of those communities about the proper role of women and certainly the importance of dowry.”
“Part of the dowry was the Port of Bombay in India …. ”
“Part of the dowry was the Port of Bombay in India .... ”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘dowry’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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RELI - Genesis
Protagonists and relevant words in the Book of Creation (Source: King James Bible)
wrath, leaf, belly, prey, death, break, six, nod, dim, end, inn, judge and 1286 more...
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wry
Oh wry rie-awry
avowry, chowry, Newry, wryneck, wrying, wrybill, outlawry, inlawry, cowry, ewry, awry, wrythen and 10 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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capitalcreative's Words
deviltry, visceral, cassanova, assuage, genesis, hot minute, osmosis, wistful, sublime, loathe, farfetched, newfangled and 283 more...
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ADW1
obdurate, obstinate, behest, injunction, enjoin, circumspect, ensconce, discursive, lugubrious, doleful, somber, ken and 2476 more...
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anotherfailedattempt's Words
kakistocracy, conflagration, pollyanna, equanimity, punctillious, obstreperous, ribald, belligerent, truculent, verbose, lachrymose, onanism and 278 more...
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Tuesday words
just the next words that come along
nasality, transignification, lapsarian, disciple, slanguage, atwitter, avast, ahoy, asleep, awake, hymnody, glissade and 573 more...
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5-0
Hecko, words! I’m so happy I’ve found you. I want to keep you all and never want to lose you again. I hope you like it here.
amscray, thistledown, tine, tinsel, pungent, snarl, wail, lanky, viscid, dawdle, luminous, stow and 2719 more...
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thricedotted's Words
schadenfreude, vanquish, calumny, obsequious, rhapsody, expostulate, promontory, bordello, quintessence, catharsis, recapitulation, myriad and 937 more...
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ash
ash
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure and 4874 more...
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C&P
abject, prevaricate, axiom, trifle, preponderate, languid, disconcerted, vexed, ignominy, morose, dowry, jaunty and 39 more...
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perhapsolutely's Words
polyradiculoneuro..., abulia, abubble, abscission, abaft, zareba, abatis, abigail, abiogenesis, ablate, ablaut, abo and 1705 more...
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Emptyflow reads an English translatio...
Emptyflow reads Musil and learns new words
residence, carouse, protrude, gauge, thwart, baleful, dowry, calumny, antler, marrow, recoil, sea-slug and 13 more...
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Of or pertaining to a wife or wives
uxor, uxorial, uxoricide, uxoricidal, uxorilocal, uxorious, uxoriousness, wifedom, wifely, wifing, wifish, wifkin and 7 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for dowry.

dailyword Holmes used this word when he was talking to Mary about Watson being a bit of a gambler. Jun 9, 2012