DOWEL
Dow"el, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Doweled or Dowelled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Doweling or Dowelling.]
Defn: To fasten together by dowels; to furnish with dowels; as, a cooper dowels pieces for the head of a cask.
DOWER Dow"er, n. Etym: [F. douaire, LL. dotarium, from L. dotare to endow, portion, fr. dos dower; akin to Gr. dare to give. See 1st Date, and cf. Dot dowry, Dotation.]
1. That with which one is gifted or endowed; endowment; gift. How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower! Sir J. Davies. Man in his primeval dower arrayed. Wordsworth.
2. The property with which a woman is endowed; especially: (a) That which a woman brings to a husband in marriage; dowry. [Obs.] His wife brought in dower Cilicia's crown. Dryden. (b) (Law)
Defn: That portion of the real estate of a man which his widow enjoys during her life, or to which a woman is entitled after the death of her husband. Blackstone.
Note: Dower, in modern use, is and should be distinguished from dowry. The former is a provision for a widow on her husband's death; the latter is a bride's portion on her marriage. Abbott. Assignment of dower. See under Assignment.
DOWERED
Dow"ered, p. a.
Defn: Furnished with, or as with, dower or a marriage portion. Shak.
DOWERLESS
Dow"er*less, a.