WordGarden.ioendow
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /ɛndˈaʊ/
US
- /ɛnˈdaʊ/
Meanings
Verb
to provide someone or something with a quality, ability, or asset
to give money or property to fund an institution, position, or purpose
Beyond the definition
To endow someone or something is to give them a useful quality, ability, or resource that is meant to last. Nature endows certain animals with camouflage, and some people seem endowed with unusual patience or charm from an early age. The word is also used for money: a donor may endow a school, library, or university with funds that help support it for years.
The word usually suggests something important and lasting, not something small or temporary. It often points either to a natural gift or to formal financial support that will continue over time.
To endow means to provide someone or something with a quality, ability, possession, or financial resource in a way that feels lasting and important. It often refers either to a natural gift or to money given for long-term support. For example: "She was endowed with a beautiful singing voice" means she naturally had that talent. "The university was endowed with a large sum of money by an anonymous donor" means it received funding meant to support it well into the future.
Historically, endow had strong legal and religious uses. It could refer to providing for someone's living or setting up lasting support for a church, school, or charity. That older sense still appears in phrases like "an endowed chair" at a university, which is a professorship supported by a permanent fund.
Over time, the word also came to describe qualities that seem built in. You might say, "The artist's paintings are endowed with a sense of melancholy," meaning they carry that feeling strongly. Or, "He was endowed with an optimistic outlook on life," suggesting that hopeful spirit seemed to be part of his nature.
The important nuance is that endow is not just another word for give. It usually implies a gift, trait, or source of support with weight and duration. Whether the subject is money, talent, beauty, or character, the word carries the idea of something valuable that remains.
Examples
- 1
Scholarship funding
The family endowed a scholarship for students from rural areas.
- 2
University position
The donor later endowed a chair in public health at the university.
- Phrasean endowed chair
a university position paid for by donated money
- 3
Legal power
The new law endows local councils with greater control over planning.
- Patternendow someone/something with + quality, feature, or power
give them that quality, feature, or power
- 4
Personal ability
She was endowed with a remarkable ability to stay calm under pressure.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Natural resources
The country is richly endowed with oil, gas, and fertile land.
- Patternrichly endowed with + resource or quality
having a lot of it
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- endowverb
Forms
- endowedpast tenseverb
- endowing-ing formverb
- endowsverb