To give money or property to support something permanently, like a school or hospital, so it can continue its work forever.
From Old French endoer, from en- (put into) + doer (to give, from Latin dotare). The term originally meant to give a dowry, then evolved to mean giving property for permanent support.
Some of the world's greatest universities like Harvard and Yale exist because wealthy people endowed them centuries ago—your tuition today might be paying for something someone set up in 1700! It's time travel through money.
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