endowment

noun

en·​dow·​ment in-ˈdau̇-mənt 

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

Synonyms

• aptitude
• bent
• faculty
• flair
• genius
• gift
• head
• knack
• talent

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

Hammons was born in Fairview and the trust provided $500,000 to establish an endowment to run a local community center. —Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2025

The first two cohorts included participants ranging from large pensions like California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) to large endowments and foundations like Dartmouth College and MacArthur Foundation. —Bhakti Mirchandani, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025

Buddie showed his fundraising chops by securing a trio of $1 million endowments in support of the football and volleyball program. —Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Jan. 2025

Baker, however, still holds an endowment of about $362 million, according to its 2023 tax filing. —Anna Clark, ProPublica, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

endowment

noun

en·​dow·​ment in-ˈdau̇-mənt 

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

: endowment insurance