Endowment
n.hopeful, capableprofessional
What it means
A lasting gift of money or property that supports a person or institution.
Reach for it when describing capital given to fund a purpose over the long term
The library's endowment keeps membership free for every resident.
Choose between these
6- playful
when informal language describes money preserved for the future
not when The idiom suggests personal savings, not charitable or institutional governance.
- everyday
when any voluntary gift of money or goods is meant
not when A donation may be spent immediately, with no invested capital or continuing income.
- warm
when the gift's lasting meaning matters alongside its value
not when Legacy can be intangible and does not specify financial structure.
- professional
when money reserved for a defined purpose is central
not when A fund can come from operating revenue and may not be endowed permanently.
- professional
when time-limited money supports a project or recipient
not when A grant is usually spent down and differs from an enduring capital base.
- formal
bequest
when a gift is left through a will
not when A bequest may be spent immediately and need not create a lasting fund.
Said against
3- debt
- depletion
- divestment
It naturally appears in
3- permanent endowment
A permanent endowment pays for conservation without selling the collection.
- university endowment
The university endowment funds scholarships as well as research.
- build an endowment
Trustees hope to build an endowment through many modest gifts.
Where this comes from
The governed positive sense is the lasting gift or fund, not the separate sense of an innate talent.
- wiktionary, English noun, noun sense money or property donated to provide continuing income opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.