To endow means to give or provide something valuable, often a quality, ability, or gift. When nature endows someone with musical talent, it means they were born with a special ability to understand and create music. Parents might endow their children with confidence by encouraging them to try new things.

The word often describes permanent or lasting gifts. A wealthy donor might endow a scholarship fund at a university, providing money that generates income year after year to help students pay for college. Unlike a one-time donation, an endowment keeps giving because it's designed to last. Museums, hospitals, and libraries often receive endowments that support their work for decades or even centuries.

You'll also see endow used when talking about natural gifts or characteristics. A person might be endowed with great intelligence, strength, or kindness. The word carries a sense that these qualities are substantial and meaningful, not trivial. When the Declaration of Independence states that all people “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” it means these rights are given to us as fundamental gifts that cannot be taken away.

The related noun endowment refers either to the gift itself or to the qualities someone possesses naturally.