endowment
pronunciation
How to pronounce endowment in British English:
UK [ɪnˈdaʊmənt]
How to pronounce endowment in American English:
US [ɛnˈdaʊmənt]
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- Noun:
- natural qualities or talents
- the capital that provides income for an institution
- the act of endowing with a permanent source of income
Word Origin
- endowment (n.)
- mid-15c., "action of endowing," from endow + -ment. Meaning "property with which an institution or person is endowed" is from 1590s; that of "gift, power, advantage" is early 17c.
Example
- 1. An endowment is money from donations and investments .
- 2. Princeton 's endowment provided close to 50 per cent of its annual budget .
- 3. The endowment funded about a third of harvard 's operating budget in 2008 .
- 4. Colleges use endowment money for student aid and campus improvements , and for financial security .
- 5. But scale works for the big endowment funds because it allows them to be adventurous .