Etymograph

English

dower

Dower comes from Middle English dower ‘a dower’, from Old French doeire ‘dowry’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- ‘give’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₃-‘give’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*déh₃tis‘giving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dōtisreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdōs‘dowry’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500dōtārium
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400doeire‘dowry’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dower‘a dower’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1600same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₃-‘give’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*déh₃tis‘giving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dōtisreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdōs‘dowry’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500dōtārium
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400doeire‘dowry’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dower‘a dower’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1600same form

Earliest quotation: c. 1600, John Davies: “How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower!”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- ‘give’

data, date, add, die, addition, rent, tradition, delicious, surrender, dose, treason, vent, donate, donation, donor, vendor, render, rendition, additive, rendezvous, antidote, anecdote, condone, addendum, dative, perdition, dacha, dati, sconce, 39 more

through Latin dōs ‘dowry’

dow, dowager, endow, 4 more

through Medieval Latin dōtārium

dowry, 1 more

Another origin of dower

  1. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500dōtārium
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400doeire‘dowry’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dower‘a dower’
  4. Englishtodaysame form

Today it means

noun The part of or interest in a deceased husband's property provided to his widow, usually in the form of a life estate.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- / dower

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