endow
en·dow/ɪnˈdaʊ/verb
endow is spelled E-N-D-O-W: 5 letters and 2 syllables (en·dow). It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 57,423rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, endow means “To give property to (someone) as a gift; specifically, to provide (a person or institution) with support in the form of a permanent fund of money or…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in endow?
| Letters | 5: E-N-D-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: en·dow |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 57,423rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is endow?
Endow appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 57,423rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce endow?
- UK /ɪnˈdaʊ/
- UK /ɛn-/
- US /ɪnˈdaʊ/
Endow has 2 syllables, split en·dow in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-endow.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with endow?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as endow from its last stressed vowel (/aʊ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: owned.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of endow
- endows present, singular, he/she/it
- endowing participle, present
- endowed participle, past
- indow
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does endow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To give property to (someone) as a gift; specifically, to provide (a person or institution) with support in the form of a permanent fund of money or other benefits.
- 2
To enrich or furnish with some faculty or quality.
- 3
To naturally furnish (with something).
She was endowed with a beautiful voice.
- 4
archaicobsoleteTo provide with a dower (“the portion that a widow receives from her deceased husband's property”) or a dowry (“property given to a bride”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Endow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | doter , enrichir |
| German | ausstatten |
| Portuguese | custear, financiar , dotar |
| Spanish | dotar, costear , ser bendecido, ser dotado |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does endow come from?
From Late Middle English endowen, endouen, enduen, indouen, indw (“to provide with assets, a livelihood, or privileges; to bestow, grant; (figuratively) to favour; to endow”), from Anglo-Norman endouer, from Old French en- (prefix meaning ‘in, into’) + douer (“to endow”) (from Latin dōtāre (present active infinitive of dōtō (“to endow”)); modern French douer). Dōtō is derived from dōs (“dowry; endowment, gift”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- (“to give”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).