Where does “dower” come from?

Dower comes from Middle English dowere, from Old French doeire, from Latin dotarium, from Latin dos meaning a gift or dowry, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European déh₃tis.

dower (English): The part of or interest in a deceased husband's...

Definitions

  1. The part of or interest in a deceased husband's...

Ancestry of “dower”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishdowerA dower; a life estate of a male spouse's...
2Old Frenchdoeiredowry
3Medieval Latindotarium—
4Latindōsdowry
5Proto-Italicdōtis—
6Proto-Indo-Europeandéh₃tisgiving
7Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots

Words derived from “dower”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tis →Every word from Proto-Indo-European déh₃tis →Every word from Proto-Italic dōtis →