All 3 Uses of
dowry
in
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
- There was the vital matter of two dowries.
p. 239.3 *dowries = money or property given by a woman's family to the husband at marriage
- But Mercy had never given a thought to a dowry.
p. 239.5
- Why did she need a dowry, she argued practically, when she was really not leaving home at all?
p. 239.7
Definitions:
-
(1)
(dowry) in some societies, money or property given by a woman's family to the husband at marriage
or less formally: money or property a bride brings to a marriage -
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More rarely, in some societies, a dowry may be given by a husband to his new wife. It can also refer to money paid upon entry to a monastic order.