Definition of dowry
Pronunciation
Noun
dowry (plural dowries)
- Property or payment given by a wife or her family to a husband at the time of marriage. (In some cultures, it is the husband who pays the dowry to the wife's family.)
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Further reading
A dowry (also known as trousseau or tocher or, in Latin, dos, or in slovenian, dota) is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband in marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both dowry and bride price. Dowry is an ancient custom, and its existence may well predate records of it.
References:
- Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
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