Nota: A tradução desta entrada está atualmente em revisão de qualidade, portanto parte do conteúdo é exibida temporariamente apenas em inglês.
Este verbete ainda não foi traduzido para o seu idioma, portanto o original é exibido abaixo.
dower
This term carries a heavy legal and historical weight, evoking the atmosphere of traditional property law and ancestral estates. It describes a specific financial arrangement tied to marriage and survival, often associated with nobility or strict social hierarchies where wealth was transferred as a contractual obligation rather than a gift.
While it shares a root with dowry, dower specifically refers to the legal provision for a widow's support from her deceased husband's estate. Because it functions as a legal entitlement or a designated portion of an estate, it is treated as a countable noun when referring to specific legal settlements, though it often appears in singular form in legal texts.
Meanings
Examples
The noblewoman brought a substantial dower of land and gold to the marriage.
The noblewoman brought a substantial dower of land and gold to the marriage.
He wondered if her dower would be enough to sustain their new household.
The contract specified the exact amount of the dower to be paid upon the wedding.
She relied on her dower to maintain her lifestyle after her husband passed away.
The court ruled that the widow was entitled to a third of the estate as her dower.
I must ensure my wife has a generous dower should I precede her in death.
The family disputed the terms of the dower in a long legal battle.
Her dower consisted of several vineyards and a small manor in the valley.