Where does “dowry” come from?

Dowry comes from Middle English dowerie, from Anglo-Norman dowarie, from Old French douaire, from Latin dotarium, a noun formed from dos meaning "gift" or "portion," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European déh₃tis.

dowry (English): Payment, such as property or money, paid by the...

Definitions

  1. Payment, such as property or money, paid by the...

Ancestry of “dowry”, step by step

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

Words derived from “dowry”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tis →Every word from Proto-Indo-European déh₃tis →Every word from Proto-Italic dōtis →
dowry — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer