endowment

noun

en·​dow·​ment in-ˈdau̇-mənt How to pronounce endowment (audio)
en-
1
: the act or process of endowing
2
: something that is endowed
specifically : the part of an institution's income derived from donations
3
: natural capacity, power, or ability
a person of great intellectual endowment

Examples of endowment in a Sentence

The hospital's endowment was established by a local family. The college has a large endowment. the endowment of a hospital wing
Recent Examples on the Web The winner of the the LVMH Prize will be awarded a 300,000-euro endowment and a tailored mentorship by LVMH. Journal Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2024 Contributors considering a gift for the perpetual endowments should therefore think about whether the current mission will be honored a century later. Bill Conerly, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 And Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation, told Fortune last week that the charity intends to spend its entire endowment within 20 years of Bill and Melinda Gates’ deaths. Jane Thier, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2024 When Arizona became a state, the federal government gave it millions of acres of land as an endowment to benefit programs, the largest of which is K-12 education. Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 30 Jan. 2024 During Saban’s tenure, the school's enrollment doubled, its endowment exploded and more than half of its freshmen now come from out of state. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024 Most of the money donated to colleges last year (some 60%), was earmarked for current operations, while the remaining 40% was for capital purposes, or to build schools’ endowments. Emma Whitford, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Those included details from meetings of Harvard’s two most powerful governing boards and the entity that manages the school’s endowment, and all communications about antisemitism involving the governing boards. Susan Svrluga, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 The British also created the Supreme Muslim Council to oversee Islamic property, endowments, schools and courts and appointed Haj Amin al-Husseini, from a rival elite family, to head the council as the grand mufti of Jerusalem. Seyward Darby, Longreads, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'endowment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of endowment was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near endowment

Cite this Entry

“Endowment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/endowment. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

endowment

noun
en·​dow·​ment in-ˈdau̇-mənt How to pronounce endowment (audio)
1
: the providing of a permanent fund for support
also : the fund provided
a college's endowment
2
: a person's natural ability

Legal Definition

endowment

noun
en·​dow·​ment
1
: the act or process of endowing
2
: a result or product of endowing: as
a
: the income of an institution derived from donations
the university's ability to attract endowment
b
: the property (as a fund) donated to an institution or organization that is invested and producing income
an endowment to maintain the gallery
3
: an endowed organization or institution : foundation
chairwoman of the state's arts endowment
4

More from Merriam-Webster on endowment

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