1The action of endowing something or someone.

1. 1.1 An income or form of property given or bequeathed to someone.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • He also increased the foundation's endowment nearly threefold, to roughly $6 billion.
   • Edward did not grant her a generous landed endowment, and there are indications that she suffered some financial problems.
   • The university, however, is sitting on an endowment worth $11 billion, and is not facing a comparable crisis.
   • The college offers low tuition fees and the department has a generous endowment for student awards and assistantships.
   • The latest increase came just before the foundation closed its doors to new proposals for its $350-million endowment, received from the federal government five years ago.
   • In addition, university endowments provide a huge source of capital for corporations.
   • In return, he presented the University with a handsome endowment for genetics student prizes and scholarships, funded by the sale of the cream of his reprint collection.
   • First, the college made a decision five years ago, in response to the decreasing value of our endowment, five percent of which is used each year for operating expenses.
   • The foundation's endowment in 2000 was about $13 billion.
   • And many, of course, have substantial endowments to guarantee more income.
   • A steering group of prominent rugby league supporters has been set up to create a scholarship endowment fund of £300,000.
   • For the average person, it is difficult to conceive that schools are raising billions of dollars, and that approximately 40 colleges and universities have endowments in the billions.
   • The Gates Foundation has a $29 billion endowment.
   • The endowment awarded 825 grants totaling approximately $20.5 million in four categories.
   • I initiated the first honorary degree and the doctoral program, we have increased the financial endowment to five times, and I have to thank my colleagues all of whom have worked hard with me.
   • They would also give top universities massive endowments to free them from state interference.
   • The majority of their investors are financial institutions, pension funds, endowments and universities.
   • These kings were generous in their endowments to the temple in the 14th and 15th centuries.
   • It said a £500 endowment on its own would only grow to £1,410 (assuming 7 per cent annual growth) by the time the child was 18.
   • This increase also could better support faculty development, student retention, facilities and endowments, he said.

   Synonyms

   bequest, bequeathal, legacy, inheritance
2. 1.2usually endowments A quality or ability possessed or inherited by someone.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • You'll never be able to compete with somebody in terms of the talents and endowments that they have.
   • Naturally, the student brings into this situation certain genetic endowments: intelligence, talents, and preferences.
   • None of us choose our genetic ancestors, or our genetic endowments and deficiencies.
   • Genetic endowments may be responsible for native intelligence, tenacity, cunning and will.
   • She tells him that he and Laura are unusual and full of natural endowments and so capable of grand success if they would just try for it.
   • Each of us arrives in this world with a genetic endowment primed for learning.
   • To explain why we have the genes we do, the evolutionary psychologists say, we must look at the long period during which humans developed their distinctive genetic endowments that distinguish us from our nearest relatives.
   • The extent to which various aspects of human behavior are found to have a firm biological basis is a strong indicator of how much changes in genetic endowments will be able to change mental qualities in human offspring.
   • Clearly, every person enters the world with different natural endowments that fall along a distribution of emotional, cognitive and sensory capabilities.

   Synonyms

   quality, characteristic, feature, attribute, facility, faculty, ability, talent, gift, strength, aptitude, capability, capacity
3. 1.3usually as modifier A form of life insurance involving payment of a fixed sum to the insured person on a specified date, or to their estate should they die before this date.
   an endowment policy

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Tens of thousands of people who were mis-sold endowments are having their claims unfairly rejected by insurance companies and banks.
   • He said: " I regret that insurers kept on selling endowments as long as they did."
   • The department spokeswoman said it did not distinguish between life assurance policies and endowment policies.
   • The argument for the latter advice being that an endowment policy pays out a lump sum on maturity.
   • I have been notified of a shortfall in the endowment policy taken out by my mother and myself with your insurance company, and would appreciate your advice.
   • The answer depends on how well or badly the endowment policy is performing and whether or not you wish to continue with it.
   • One quarter of pension and endowment policy holders did not realise that their money was invested in the stock market.
   • Many endowment policy holders are facing this situation at the moment.
   • The difference between endowment mortgages and pension mortgages is that, rather than taking out an endowment policy, you take out a pension plan.
   • Actually, an average earner will pay £8,000 during his lifetime through endowment policies, pension funds and supposedly tax free ISAs.
   • Pension funds and endowment policies have been hit by bonus cuts and withdrawal penalties.
   • From a bank's point of view, life policies can broadly be divided into two types: whole life policies and endowment policies.