dower

Etymology

From Middle English dower, dowere, from Old French doeire, from Medieval Latin dōtārium, from Latin dōs.

noun

1. (law) The part of or interest in a deceased husband's property provided to his widow, usually in the form of a life estate.
2. (law) Property given by a groom directly to his bride at or before their wedding in order to legitimize the marriage; dowry.
   In New Bedford, fathers, they say, give whales for dowers to their daughters, and portion off their nieces with a few porpoises a-piece. 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 6
3. (obsolete) That with which one is gifted or endowed; endowment; gift.
   How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower! c. 1600, John Davies, The Dignity of Man
   Man in his primeval dower arrayed. 1793, William Wordsworth, Descriptive Sketches

verb

1. (transitive) To give a dower or dowry to.
   He had married a lady well educated and softly nurtured, but not dowered with worldly wealth. 1861, Anthony Trollope, Framley Parsonage
2. (transitive) To endow.