How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower! --Sir J.
Davies.
Man in his primeval dower arrayed. --Wordsworth.
2. The property with which a woman is endowed; especially:
(a) That which a woman brings to a husband in marriage;
dowry. [Obs.]
His wife brought in dower Cilicia's crown.
--Dryden.
(b) (Law) That portion of the real estate of a man which
his widow enjoys during her life, or to which a woman
is entitled after the death of her husband.
--Blackstone.
Note: Dower, in modern use, is and should be distinguished
from dowry. The former is a provision for a widow on
her husband's death; the latter is a bride's portion on
her marriage. --Abbott.
{Assignment of dower}. See under {Assignment}.