Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Money or property brought by a bride to her husband at marriage.
- noun A sum of money required of a postulant at a convent.
- noun A natural endowment or gift; a talent.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun 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. - noun Any gift or reward in view of marriage.
- noun That with which one is endowed; gift; endowment; possession.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun obsolete A gift; endowment.
- noun 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 . - noun A gift or presents for the bride, on espousal. See
Dower .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun
Property orpayment given by onespouse or his/her family to the other spouse or her/his family at time ofmarriage . (In some cultures, the dowry is given fromwife tohusband , in others vice versa.)
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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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.
From This Beloved Hour Lambert, Willa 1982
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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.
The Promised Land 1912
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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 1778
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Professor Veena Oldenburg powerfully challenges even the usual portrayal of women being killed for dowry, which is linked with Hindu culture.
Pankaj Jain, Ph.D.: Hinduism And Modernity Ph.D. Pankaj Jain 2011
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Professor Veena Oldenburg powerfully challenges even the usual portrayal of women being killed for dowry, which is linked with Hindu culture.
Pankaj Jain, Ph.D.: Hinduism And Modernity Ph.D. Pankaj Jain 2011
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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 2009
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Such gifts, called a dowry, are common in the Near East today.
Hebrew Bible views on women Cliff Pickover 2007
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Such gifts, called a dowry, are common in the Near East today.
Archive 2007-09-01 Cliff Pickover 2007
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The women of our country have to face daily patriarchal violence and there are many so-called dowry deaths each year.
Archive 2006-11-01 Abhay N 2006
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The women of our country have to face daily patriarchal violence and there are many so-called dowry deaths each year.
dailyword commented on the word dowry
Holmes used this word when he was talking to Mary about Watson being a bit of a gambler.
June 9, 2012