Meaning of "dower" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD DOWER

From Old French douaire, from Medieval Latin dōtārium, from Latin dōs gift.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF DOWER

dower  [ˈdaʊə]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF DOWER

Dower is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb dower in English.

WHAT DOES DOWER MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Dower

Dower is a provision accorded by law, but traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support in the event that she should survive her husband. It was settled on the bride by agreement at the time of the wedding, or provided by law. The dower grew out of the Germanic practice of bride price which was given over to a bride's family well in advance for arranging the marriage, but during the early Middle Ages, was given directly to the wife instead. However, in popular parlance, the term may be used for a life interest in property settled by a husband on his wife at any time, not just at the wedding. The verb is to dower. In popular usage, the term dower may be confused with: ▪ A dowager is a widow. The term is especially used of a noble or royal widow who no longer occupies the position she held during the marriage. For example, Queen Elizabeth was technically the dowager queen after the death of George VI, and Princess Lilian was the Dowager Duchess of Halland in heraldic parlance. Such a dowager will receive the income from her dower property. ▪ Property brought to the marriage by the bride is called a dowry.

Definition of dower in the English dictionary

The first definition of dower in the dictionary is the life interest in a part of her husband's estate allotted to a widow by law. Other definition of dower is a natural gift or talent. Dower is also to endow.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO DOWER

PRESENT

Present

I dower

you dower

he/she/it dowers

we dower

you dower

they dower

Present continuous

I am dowering

you are dowering

he/she/it is dowering

we are dowering

you are dowering

they are dowering

Present perfect

I have dowered

you have dowered

he/she/it has dowered

we have dowered

you have dowered

they have dowered

Present perfect continuous

I have been dowering

you have been dowering

he/she/it has been dowering

we have been dowering

you have been dowering

they have been dowering

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I dowered

you dowered

he/she/it dowered

we dowered

you dowered

they dowered

Past continuous

I was dowering

you were dowering

he/she/it was dowering

we were dowering

you were dowering

they were dowering

Past perfect

I had dowered

you had dowered

he/she/it had dowered

we had dowered

you had dowered

they had dowered

Past perfect continuous

I had been dowering

you had been dowering

he/she/it had been dowering

we had been dowering

you had been dowering

they had been dowering

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will dower

you will dower

he/she/it will dower

we will dower

you will dower

they will dower

Future continuous

I will be dowering

you will be dowering

he/she/it will be dowering

we will be dowering

you will be dowering

they will be dowering

Future perfect

I will have dowered

you will have dowered

he/she/it will have dowered

we will have dowered

you will have dowered

they will have dowered

Future perfect continuous

I will have been dowering

you will have been dowering

he/she/it will have been dowering

we will have been dowering

you will have been dowering

they will have been dowering

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would dower

you would dower

he/she/it would dower

we would dower

you would dower

they would dower

Conditional continuous

I would be dowering

you would be dowering

he/she/it would be dowering

we would be dowering

you would be dowering

they would be dowering

Conditional perfect

I would have dower

you would have dower

he/she/it would have dower

we would have dower

you would have dower

they would have dower

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been dowering

you would have been dowering

he/she/it would have been dowering

we would have been dowering

you would have been dowering

they would have been dowering

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you dower
we let´s dower
you dower

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to dower

Past participle

dowered

Present Participle

dowering

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «DOWER»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «dower» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of dower

dowry · inheritance · legacy · portion · provision · share

TRANSLATION OF DOWER

Find out the translation of dower to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of dower from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «dower» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 嫁妆
• Translator English - Spanish: dote
• English: dower
• Translator English - Hindi: दहेज
• Translator English - Arabic: المهر
• Translator English - Russian: приданое
• Translator English - Portuguese: dower
• Translator English - Bengali: যৌতুক
• Translator English - French: dot
• Translator English - Malay: Dower
• Translator English - German: Mitgift
• Translator English - Japanese: ダワー
• Translator English - Korean: 과부
• Translator English - Javanese: Dower
• Translator English - Vietnamese: ban cho
• Translator English - Tamil: கைம்மை காலத்திற்கென விடப்படும் சீதனம்
• Translator English - Marathi: दाता
• Translator English - Turkish: çeyiz
• Translator English - Italian: doario
• Translator English - Polish: dower
• Translator English - Ukrainian: придане
• Translator English - Romanian: zestre
• Translator English - Greek: επικαρπία
• Translator English - Afrikaans: weduwgoed
• Translator English - Swedish: hemgift
• Translator English - Norwegian: dower

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «DOWER»

Discover the use of dower in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to dower and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II

Chronicles the events that took place in Japan at the end of World War II and explores the effects they have had on the development and shaping of the Japanese society, from immediately after the war to the present day.

John W. Dower, 2000

World Ethics: The New Agenda

Nigel Dower discusses the nature of world ethics by identifying different ways of thinking about ethics and includes a survey of different ways of thinking ethically about international and global relations.

Nigel Dower, 1998

War without Mercy: PACIFIC WAR

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD AN AMERICAN BOOK AWARD FINALIST Now in paperback, War Without Mercy has been hailed by The New York Times as “one of the most original and important books to be written about the war ...

John Dower, 2012

The Ethics of War and Peace

This book presents a clear and comprehensive introduction to the diverse and wide-ranging ethical aspects of war and peace.

Nigel Dower, 2013

Japan in War and Peace: Selected Essays

A brilliant lead essay, "The Useful War," sets the tone for the volume by incisively showing how much of Japan's postwar political and economic structure was prefigured in the wartime organization of that country.

John W. Dower, 1995

Cultures of War: Pearl Harbor / Hiroshima / 9-11 / Iraq

A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian presents a comparative analysis of September 11 and the subsequent War on Terror with Pearl Harbor and World War II, addressing institutional failures of intelligence and imagination and the driving forces ...

John W. Dower, 2011

Global Citizenship: A Critical Introduction

The idea of global citizenship is that human beings are "citizens of the world.

Nigel Dower, John Williams, 2002

The Inventor of Stereo: The life and works of Alan Dower ...

This book is the definitive study of the life and works of one of Britain's most important inventors who, due to a cruel set of circumstances, has all but been overlooked by history.

Robert Alexander, 2000

Property: Examples & Explanations

A wife can release dower by signing away her rights. Release of dower claims is necessary, or at least customary where dower has not been repealed, upon the transfer of the property. Buyers and lenders insist wives join in executing deeds ...

D. Barlow Burke, Joseph A. Snoe, 2008

An Introduction to Global Citizenship

The discussion is set in its historical context but the main emphasis is on the idea of global citizenship as a cultural process, and its application in the modern world.The book is divided into three parts - the Framework, which explores ...

Nigel Dower, 2003

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «DOWER»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term dower is used in the context of the following news items.

Self-Reformation and helping others Reform

A husband holds a trust to pay his wife haq mehr (dower). Many cases are brought up where in instances of conflict efforts are made not to pay ... «Lankaweb, Jul 15»

Prince George's County crime report

Accokeek and Danville roads, 3:37 a.m. June 22. Vehicle recovered. Dower House Rd. W., 9000 block, 10:04 p.m. June 26. Vehicle recovered. «Washington Post, Jul 15»

What it's like to start a business on Instagram

Max Dower, the 26-year-old artist behind the Instagram account Unfortunate Portrait, was a law student at UCLA and drawing in his spare time. «Delmarva Public Radio, Jul 15»

Black history recognized on July 4

Judge was born a slave in Mt. Vernon, Va., and was a “dower slave,” given to Martha Washington as property from a previous marriage. Among ... «The Philadelphia Tribune, Jul 15»

Delight as ambitious £10m engineering college wins planning …

Former ICI engineer and Ashington High School vice-principal Tom Dower has been appointed to lead the school. He said: “I'm delighted with ... «The Northern Echo, Jul 15»

No regrets in police role

In his role as team leader of StreetNet at Billy Dower Youth Centre, he would talk to young people about issues like drugs and bullying. «Community Newspaper Group, Jul 15»

Hrunov protesting cancellation of Klitschko-Fury purse bid

By Jim Dower: Russian promoter Vlad Hrunov reportedly is protesting the cancellation of Monday's purse bid for the Wladimir Klitschko vs. «Boxing News 24, Jul 15»

Van Gogh And Whistler Take Over Clark

I think now people think of her as very dower and intimidating, but think about the fact that photographic portraits being taken in the time ... «WAMC, Jul 15»

Dr. Brian Dower Seeks to Inform Toronto Residents About the …

TORONTO, July 5, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dr. Brian Dower, of Toronto, Ontario, has dedicated himself to spreading the word about the ... «GlobeNewswire, Jul 15»

There's no business like Hershey Felder's business

David Dower, ArtsEmerson's artistic director, says Felder brings in a committed audience, including many theatergoers who aren't regulars. «Boston Globe, Jul 15»