What does endow mean?
Endow is a verb with two principal meanings. First, it describes the natural or permanent bestowal of a quality, talent, or ability on a person, typically in the passive form: someone is 'endowed with' charm, intelligence, or athletic prowess. Second, it refers to providing an institution such as a university, hospital, museum, or charity with a permanent source of funding — a practice central to philanthropy, where donors endow scholarships, professorships, or entire buildings so that their support continues in perpetuity. The word carries a formal, somewhat elevated tone and appears frequently in academic, legal, and journalistic writing. Its etymology is revealing: it derives from Old French 'endouer', based on Latin 'dos', meaning dowry, so to endow something is, historically speaking, to give it a dowry. This sense of lasting provision underlies both its everyday and institutional uses.
verbTo give someone a quality or ability, often naturally or permanently; to provide an institution with a permanent source of income or assets.
- To supply someone naturally or permanently with a quality, talent, or ability (usually passive: 'be endowed with').
- To provide an institution, organization, or cause with a permanent fund, income, or asset.
"The philanthropist endowed the university with a new chair of medicine."
"She was endowed with a remarkable gift for languages."
"The alumnus endowed a scholarship fund for first-generation students."
When you endow a university chair, you're literally giving it a dowry — the word traces straight back through Old French 'endouer' to Latin 'dos', meaning dowry.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of endow
Endow comes from Middle English 'endowen', borrowed from Old French 'endouer', formed from 'en-' plus 'douer', from Late Latin 'dotare', derived from Latin 'dos', meaning dowry. It entered English in the late medieval period, initially carrying the legal sense of providing a wife or institution with property or income. Related words sharing this root include 'dowry' and 'dower'.
Related word forms
How endow is actually used
Often used in formal or elevated registers. The passive construction 'endowed with' is very common when describing innate talents or qualities. In financial contexts, 'endow' implies permanence — an endowment is meant to sustain an institution indefinitely.
Easily confused with endow
Endorse means to publicly approve or support something, while endow means to provide someone with a quality or an institution with funds.