Table of Contents
Definition of Dowry
(noun) The transfer of money or property to a woman’s husband when she gets married, typically given by her parents.
Dowry Pronunciation
Syllabification: dow·ry
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /dOU-ree/
- British English – /dOU-uh-ree/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈdaʊri/
- British English – /ˈdaʊəri/
Usage Notes
- Plural: dowries
- Indirect dowry is when the money or property is transferred to the husband’s family instead of the husband.
- Dowry death and bride burning are forms of violence against women. Dowry death is when a woman is murdered or commits suicide because her husband or in-laws attempt to increase the size of her dowry. Sometimes dowry death occurs by bride burning (bride-burning), which is when a woman is killed by burning or commits suicide by setting herself on fire.
- A dower refers to the amount of money or property a widow is granted after the death of her husband.
- Variant spelling: dowery
Additional Information
- Family and Kinship Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Sex and Gender Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “dowry” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
Cite the Definition of Dowry
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “dowry.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 19, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/dowry/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
dowry. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/dowry/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “dowry.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/dowry/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“dowry.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/dowry/>.