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
- Payment, such as property or money, paid by the...
Ancestry of “dowry”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | dowarye | A dower; a life estate of a male spouse's... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | dowarie | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | dotarium | — |
| 4 | Latin | dōs | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | dōtis | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | déh₃tis | giving |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |
Words derived from “dowry”