dow·er 
(douər)
(douər)n.
1. Law
a. A spouse's legal entitlement, during his or her lifetime, to a share of a deceased spouse's real estate or other property.
b. The part or interest of a deceased man's real estate allotted by law to his widow for her lifetime.
2. A natural endowment or gift; a dowry.
tr.v. dow·ered, dow·er·ing, dow·ers
To give a dower to; endow.
[Middle English douere, from Old French douaire, from Medieval Latin dōtārium, dōārium, from Latin dōs, dōt-, dowry; see dō- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]