Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act of endowing.
  • noun Funds or property donated to an institution, individual, or group as a source of income.
  • noun A natural gift, ability, or quality.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of settling dower on a woman.
  • noun The act of settling a fund or permanent provision for the support of any person or object, as a student, a professorship, a school, a hospital, etc.
  • noun That which is bestowed or settled; property, fund, or revenue permanently appropriated to any object: as, the endowments of a church, hospital, or college.
  • noun That which is given or bestowed on the person or mind; gift of nature; in the plural, natural equipment of body or mind, or both; attributes or aptitudes.
  • noun Synonyms Bequest, present, gift, fund.
  • noun Acquirements, Acquisitions, Attainments, etc. (see acquirement); gift, talent, capacity, genius, parts. See comparison under genius.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of bestowing a dower, fund, or permanent provision for support.
  • noun That which is bestowed or settled on a person or an institution; property, fund, or revenue permanently appropriated to any object.
  • noun That which is given or bestowed upon the person or mind; gift of nature; accomplishment; natural capacity; talents; -- usually in the plural.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Something with which a person or thing is endowed.
  • noun Funds invested for the support and benefit of a not-for-profit institution.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the capital that provides income for an institution
  • noun natural abilities or qualities
  • noun the act of endowing with a permanent source of income

Etymologies

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Examples

  • The word endowment got a bigger response than Saran Wrap or Time magazine.

    Underworld Don Delillo 2008

  • The word endowment got a bigger response than Saran Wrap or Time magazine.

    Underworld Don Delillo 2008

  • The word endowment got a bigger response than Saran Wrap or Time magazine.

    Underworld Don Delillo 2008

  • The endowment is given each couple of years for outstanding contributions to charitable causes.

    Archive 2009-11-01 admin 2009

  • The endowment is given each couple of years for outstanding contributions to charitable causes.

    The orchestra : which is leasing the structure admin 2009

  • An endowment is a permanent investment that grows over time while providing steady annual funding to continue and expand initiatives.

    Reach Out and Read 2010

  • Severe losses in endowment revenue, which in the past insulated materials budgets to a degree, have left even larger and wealthier libraries facing cuts ...

    Reality Bites: Periodicals Price Survey 2009 2009

  • With $250 billion in endowment and a group of the most accomplished individuals on the planet, research universities have no choice but to gear up to attack the world

    Buck Goldstein: Innovation Economics: The Pie Must Get Bigger Buck Goldstein 2010

  • The endowment is named for a College Football Hall of Fame manager who late in 1997 after fifty-six years during Grambling State University.

    Archive 2009-12-01 admin 2009

  • The endowment is named for a College Football Hall of Fame manager who late in 1997 after fifty-six years during Grambling State University.

    Excerpt from PIGSKIN WARRIORS: 140 YEARS OF THE GAMES GREATEST ... admin 2009

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