ENDOW'MENT, noun The act of settling dower on a woman, or of settling a fund or permanent provision for the support of a parson or vicar, or of a professor, etc. 1. That which is bestowed or settled on; property, fund or revenue permanently appropriated to any object; as the endowments of a church, of a hospital, or of a college. 2. That which is given or bestowed on the person or mind by the creator; gift of nature; any quality or faculty bestowed by the creator. Natural activity of limbs is an endowment of the body; natural vigor of intellect is an endowment of the mind. Chatham and Burke, in Great Britain, and Jan, Ellsworth and Hamilton, in America, possessed uncommon endowments of mind.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI