dowry
noun /ˈdaʊri/
  /ˈdaʊri/
 (plural dowries)
- money and/or property that, in some societies, a wife or her family must pay to her husband when they get married- His family hoped that his bride would bring a large dowry.
 Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- large
- substantial
- small
- …
 - give somebody
- pay (somebody)
- have
- …
 - system
- death
 
- money and/or property that, in some societies, a husband must pay to his wife’s family when they get marriedOxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- large
- substantial
- small
- …
 - give somebody
- pay (somebody)
- have
- …
 - system
- death
 
Word OriginMiddle English (denoting a widow's life interest in her husband's estate): from Anglo-Norman French dowarie, from medieval Latin dotarium, from Latin dotare ‘endow’, from dos, dot- ‘dowry’; related to dare ‘give’.