Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To provide with property, income, or a source of income.
  • transitive verb To equip or supply with a talent or quality.
  • transitive verb To imagine as having a usually favorable trait or quality.
  • transitive verb Obsolete To provide with a dower.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To bestow or settle a dower on; provide with dower.
  • To settle money or other property on; furnish with a permanent fund or source of income: as, to endow a college or a church.
  • To furnish, as with some gift, quality, or faculty, mental or physical; equip: as, man is endowed by his Maker with reason; to be endowed with beauty, strength, or power.
  • Synonyms Endue, Endow. See endue.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To furnish with money or its equivalent, as a permanent fund for support; to make pecuniary provision for; to settle an income upon; especially, to furnish with dower
  • transitive verb To enrich or furnish with anything of the nature of a gift (as a quality or faculty); -- followed by with, rarely by of

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To furnish with money or its equivalent, as a permanent fund for support; to make pecuniary provision for; to settle an income upon; especially, to furnish with dower; as, to endow a wife; to endow a public institution.
  • verb To enrich or furnish with anything of the nature of a gift (as a quality or faculty); -- followed by with, rarely by of; as, man is endowed by his Maker with reason; to endow with privileges or benefits.
  • verb To bestow freely.
  • verb To be furnished with something naturally.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb furnish with an endowment
  • verb give qualities or abilities to

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English endowen, from Anglo-Norman endouer : Old French en-, intensive pref.; see en– + Old French douer, to provide with a dowry (from Latin dōtāre, from dōs, dōt-, dowry; see dō- in Indo-European roots).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Anglo-Norman endover, en- + Old French douer (from Latin dotare).

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Examples

  • We have (with Tregelles) avoided both by rendering the word "endow," which includes "power," and whatever other gifts were necessary for their mission.

    Commentary on Revelation 1837-1913 1909

  • Interestingly, modern technology allows us to do things like "endow" an application with SaaS with very little intrusiveness whereas in the past, this may have required a new stack.

    SaaS Blogs 2010

  • Interestingly, modern technology allows us to do things like "endow" an application with SaaS with very little intrusiveness whereas in the past, this may have required a new stack.

    SaaS Blogs 2010

  • Interestingly, modern technology allows us to do things like "endow" an application with SaaS with very little intrusiveness whereas in the past, this may have required a new stack.

    SaaS Blogs Microsoft SaaS Architecture Team Experiences SaaSG 2010

  • Interestingly, modern technology allows us to do things like "endow" an application with SaaS with very little intrusiveness whereas in the past, this may have required a new stack.

    SaaS Blogs 2010

  • h an empty name endow'd his fpoufe, jr Tullia, who, fome authors feign, er her father's corpfe a rumbling wain t more guilty numerous wains did drive

    The Works of the English Poets 1779

  • Maybe we can endow another more worthy university with the name of Our Lady in the distant future.

    Fr. Reese's flawed arguments for Pres. Obama at Notre Dame 2009

  • Third, America needs to recognize that the approaches taken thus far have failed; and like the typical tourist in a foreign country, saying the same thing progressively more loudly in English does not miraculously endow the French person with comprehension; it just pisses them off.

    Geopolitics 2010

  • Third, America needs to recognize that the approaches taken thus far have failed; and like the typical tourist in a foreign country, saying the same thing progressively more loudly in English does not miraculously endow the French person with comprehension; it just pisses them off.

    sorry seems to be the hardest word... 2009

  • Third, America needs to recognize that the approaches taken thus far have failed; and like the typical tourist in a foreign country, saying the same thing progressively more loudly in English does not miraculously endow the French person with comprehension; it just pisses them off.

    11 posts from May 2009 2009

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