noun / verb
dower
DOWW-er/dˈaʊr/
Property provided to support someone through marriage or widowhood.
Her dower provides a steady income after her husband's death.
Etymology
From a word for a marriage portion or gift, dower initially meant property a woman brought to her husband. Its legal meaning shifted to a share of her late husband's real property allowed to her for life.
In context
dower rights are the wife's interest in a property of her husband upon his passing
More examples
- The marriage contract lists the land included in her dower.
- Her parents dower her with a small farm when she marries.
- The widow claims her dower from her husband's estate.
Forms
dower · dowers · dowered · dowering
Similar words
- dowry
- Property brought to marriage, rather than a widow's legal share.
- inheritance
- Property received after a death, not specifically by a widow.