Wordul · all words

verb · 2 syllables · /ɪn'daʊ/

ENDOW

What does "ENDOW" mean?

To give a large gift or fund to an institution, or to furnish someone with a quality.

Meanings

  1. To provide an institution with a permanent source of income or a large gift. The alumnus endowed a chair in marine biology. formal
  2. To furnish or provide with a quality, ability, or asset (usually passive). She was endowed with extraordinary patience.

Word origin

From Anglo-Norman 'endouer', from 'en-' (in) plus Old French 'douer' (to provide a dowry), from Latin 'dotare' (to endow), from 'dos' (dowry); the same root for giving gives 'donate' and 'dowry'.

Remember it

ENDOW shares its 'dow' with DOWRY - both are gifts that set someone up for the future.

A little poem

He gave the college not a year but ground-
a gift that pays itself the long way round.

couplet

Wordplay

  • Why is an endowment the most patient gift? It never spends itself - it just keeps handing the interest forward, generation after generation.

What it teaches

The deepest generosity gives a source, not a sum: endow the spring, not just the cup.

Quick facts

What does ENDOW mean?

To give a large gift or fund to an institution, or to furnish someone with a quality.

Is ENDOW a valid word?

Yes — ENDOW is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is ENDOW?

ENDOW has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does ENDOW come from?

From Anglo-Norman 'endouer', from 'en-' (in) plus Old French 'douer' (to provide a dowry), from Latin 'dotare' (to endow), from 'dos' (dowry); the same root for giving gives 'donate' and 'dowry'.

What can ENDOW teach us?

The deepest generosity gives a source, not a sum: endow the spring, not just the cup.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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