Dowry

Dowry
This unusual name is a developed form of the Old French "douarie" and does refer to money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage. The surname is found in the spellings of Dowry, Dowrey and the shortened forms of Dover, Dower, Dowyer and the patronymic Dowers and Dowears. The name is probably topographical for a person who lived or worked at a "Dower" property, but it is possible that some nameholders derive from a nickname for a male person who benefitted from a large dowery after marrying a wealthy woman. The name recording and development include the following examples - John Dowry who married Katherine Johnson on April 30th 1587, at the church of St. Stephen and St. Benet, London, whilst on January 13th 1691, Catherine Dowry married Matthew Evans at St. Mary-le-Bone. On January 3rd 1790, Thomas (Dowrey (as spelt) was christened at the church of St. Andrew's, Holborn, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Dowre, which was dated January 17th 1585, a witness at Christchurch, Greyfriars, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • DOWRY — (Heb. נְדֻנְיָה), the property a wife brings to her husband at marriage; the Yiddish equivalent, nadn, is from the same root. The custom of nedunyah became clearly defined and institutionalized only in the talmudic period. In biblical times,… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • dowry — index endowment Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 dowry n. Money and property brought …   Law dictionary

  • dowry — dow‧ry [ˈdaʊəri ǁ ˈdaʊri] noun dowries PLURALFORM [countable] 1. FINANCE JOURNALISM money which is given by one company to a company it is trying to buy. The dowry is meant to encourage the second company to agree to the arrangement: • The… …   Financial and business terms

  • Dowry — Dow ry, n.; pl. {Dowries}. [Contr. from dowery; cf. LL. dotarium. See {Dower}.] 1. A gift; endowment. [Obs.] Spenser. [1913 Webster] 2. The money, goods, or estate, which a woman brings to her husband in marriage; a bride s portion on her… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dowry — early 14c., from Anglo Fr. dowarie, O.Fr. doaire (late 13c.) dower, dowry, gift, from M.L. dotarium, from L. dotare to endow, portion, from dos (gen. dotis) marriage portion, from PIE *do ti (Cf. Skt. dadati, Gk. didonai, O.C.S. dati, Lith …   Etymology dictionary

  • dowry — ► NOUN (pl. dowries) ▪ property or money brought by a bride to her husband on their marriage. ORIGIN Old French dowarie, from Latin dotare endow (see DOWER(Cf. ↑dower)) …   English terms dictionary

  • dowry — [dou′rē] n. pl. dowries [ME douerie < Anglo Fr & OFr douarie: see DOWER] 1. the property that a woman brings to her husband at marriage: now chiefly historical or metaphorical 2. a natural talent, gift, or endowment 3. Archaic a widow s dower… …   English World dictionary

  • Dowry — A dowry (also known as trousseau or tocher or, in Latin, dos) is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage.[1][2] It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride s parents, and dower, which is property… …   Wikipedia

  • dowry — /dow ree/, n., pl. dowries. 1. Also, dower. the money, goods, or estate that a wife brings to her husband at marriage. 2. Archaic. a widow s dower. 3. a natural gift, endowment, talent, etc. Also, dowery. [1250 1300; ME dowerie < AF douarie < ML… …   Universalium

  • dowry — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ large, substantial ▪ small VERB + DOWRY ▪ give sb, pay (sb) ▪ have …   Collocations dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”