Dowry

Pronunciation: /ˈdaʊri/

Definitions of dowry

noun a payment or gift given by a bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage, traditionally in some cultures

Example Sentences

A1 In some cultures, a dowry is given by the bride's family to the groom's family.

A2 The dowry tradition is still practiced in certain countries around the world.

B1 The size of the dowry often depends on the social status of the families involved.

B2 There have been cases where disputes over dowry have led to serious consequences.

C1 The practice of demanding a dowry is seen as outdated and discriminatory in many modern societies.

C2 Some countries have laws in place to protect women from dowry-related abuse and violence.

Examples of dowry in a Sentence

formal The dowry presented by the bride's family was a significant amount of money and jewelry.

informal I heard that the dowry for the wedding was pretty generous.

slang The dowry was no joke, they really went all out for the wedding.

figurative In some cultures, education is seen as a dowry that parents give to their children.

Grammatical Forms of dowry

• past tense: dowried
• plural: dowries
• comparative: more dowry
• superlative: most dowry
• present tense: dowries
• future tense: will dowry
• perfect tense: have dowried
• continuous tense: is dowrying
• singular: dowry
• positive degree: dowry
• infinitive: to dowry
• gerund: dowrying
• participle: dowrying

Origin and Evolution of dowry

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'dowry' originated from the Latin word 'dos', meaning 'gift' or 'dowry'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used in the context of a woman's marriage portion, the meaning of 'dowry' has evolved over time to encompass the goods and money given by the bride's family to the groom or his family as part of the marriage arrangement.