English word origin

Etymology of dow

From Middle English douen, from Old English dugan, from Proto-West Germanic *dugan, from Proto-Germanic *duganą.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

To be worth. · To thrive, prosper.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English douen, from Old English dugan, from Proto-West Germanic *dugan, from Proto-Germanic *duganą.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*dʰewgʰ-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentiondouenenm
Inherited-form mentionduganang
Inherited-form mention*dugangmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*duganągem-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dʰewgʰ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "douen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English douen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dugan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dugan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*dugan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *dugan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*duganą"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *duganą"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "douen",
      "douen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dugan",
      "dugan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*dugan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/dugan"
    ],
    [
      "*duganą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/duganą"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To be worth.",
        "To thrive, prosper."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "dialectal",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "2b2e3596b42d2941b095f3941a92f80f9aaf932457bc51eb19a2babcb34b8583",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b14eab729bcd351386b42a0e23a5ee8821d9876f5e77d7bbac2797b4712d0fe2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 229354
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To furnish with a dower; to endow.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English dowen, from Old French douer, from Latin dōtō.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentiondowenenm
Derivation mentiondouerfro
Derivation mentiondōtōla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dowen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dowen"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "douer"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French douer"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "dōtō"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin dōtō"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dowen",
      "dowen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "douer",
      "douer#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "dōtō",
      "doto#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To furnish with a dower; to endow."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for dow →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-ZG93