Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DOW'RY, n. [See Dower. This word differs not from dower. It is the same word differently written, and the distinction made between them is arbitrary.]

1. The money, goods or estate which a woman brings to her husband in marriage; the portion given with a wife. – Shak. Dryden.
2. The reward paid for a wife. – Cowley.
3. A gift; a fortune given. – Johnson.