Provided with a dower; having received a dower or portion at marriage.
From 'dower' plus the past participle -ed suffix, functioning as an adjective to describe someone who has been endowed with a dower.
A woman described as 'well-dowered' was essentially 'well-funded' for her marriage—the size of her dower could determine her social position and her bargaining power in family negotiations.
Past participle of dower. Describes a woman provided with a dower—a transaction framing women as economic objects with value determined by male (father/husband) arrangement.
Use in historical narration with explicit acknowledgment of women's status as economic dependents, not property. In modern contexts, avoid entirely.
["provided with a marital settlement","endowed with an inheritance"]
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