Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “dower” come from?

dower (Middle English) comes from Old French doeire, from Medieval Latin dotarium, from Latin dōs, from Proto-Italic dōtis, from Proto-Indo-European déh₃tis, from Proto-Indo-European -tis — Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots.

dower (Middle English): A dower; a life estate of a male spouse's...

Definitions

  1. A dower; a life estate of a male spouse's...

Ancestry of “dower”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchdoeiredowry
2Medieval Latindotarium—
3Latindōs—
4Proto-Italicdōtis—
5Proto-Indo-Europeandéh₃tisgiving
6Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots

Words derived from “dower”

  • dower
  • dowerless
  • doweress
  • dowress
  • dowral
  • endower
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tis →