Literary notes about Endow (AI summary)
Literary authors employ "endow" in a variety of ways to convey the act of imparting qualities, gifts, or powers. At times it is used in a literal sense to denote the provision of wealth or property for public benefit, as when a character is able to endow a hospital or college with financial support [1, 2]. In other contexts the term takes on a figurative or even ceremonial nuance, describing the bestowal of inherent abilities, divine power, or even life-like qualities onto objects and beings—whether it is a patriarch imparting reason to man or a marital ritual wherein one bestows worldly goods upon a partner [3, 4, 5]. This versatility underscores the rich imagery and layered meanings that "endow" brings to literary works.
- [Pg liii] ful Bardi; and her father was so wealthy that after providing for his children he could endow a hospital in Florence.
— from The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: The Inferno by Dante Alighieri - Of course we knew he would build and endow an educational establishment.
— from March Hares by Harold Frederic - Lincoln placed the ring upon the bride’s finger, and said, “With this ring I now thee wed, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow.”
— from The Papers and Writings of Abraham Lincoln, Complete by Abraham Lincoln - The finer organization of his brain, the possession of hands, above all, his erect position, make man, man and endow him with reason.
— from History of Modern PhilosophyFrom Nicolas of Cusa to the Present Time by Richard Falckenberg - It is beyond the reach of art to endow either air or recitative with more impassioned expression than was hers.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition by Edgar Allan Poe
