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Definition of dowry noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

dowry

noun
 
/ˈdaʊri/
 
/ˈdaʊri/
(plural dowries)
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  1. money and/or property that, in some societies, a wife or her family must pay to her husband when they get married
    • His family hoped that his bride would bring a large dowry.
    Topics Life stagesc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • large
    • substantial
    • small
    verb + dowry
    • give somebody
    • pay (somebody)
    • have
    dowry + noun
    • system
    • death
    See full entry
  2. money and/or property that, in some societies, a husband must pay to his wife’s family when they get married
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • large
    • substantial
    • small
    verb + dowry
    • give somebody
    • pay (somebody)
    • have
    dowry + noun
    • system
    • death
    See full entry
  3. Word OriginMiddle English (denoting a widow's life interest in her husband's estate): from Anglo-Norman French dowarie, from medieval Latin dotarium, from Latin dotare ‘endow’, from dos, dot- ‘dowry’; related to dare ‘give’.
See dowry in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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